BREEDS OF CATTLE 15 



bred for generations with certain objects in view, and in 

 time these characteristics become fixed and are transmitted 

 with fair certainty. 



The breed should be looked upon as a means of retaining 

 the characteristics that have been developed by the efforts 

 of 'he breeders in the past. Certain breeds have for gen- 

 era dons been selected and developed for the purpose of pro- 

 du< ing the greatest possible amount of good beef from the 

 least feed. It is reasonable to expect an animal belonging 

 to one of these breeds to excel one whose ancestors have 

 never been selected for any definite purpose. Other breeds 

 have been developed as dairy breeds, or for dual-purpose 

 use, and are the most efficient animals for these purposes. 



18. Pedigrees. A pedigree is a record of the ancestry of 

 an animal. Its value lies in the opportunity it affords to 

 study the characteristics of the ancestors. Breed associa- 

 tions l have been organized by those interested, primarily for 

 the purpose of keeping authentic records of the ancestry of 

 pure-bred animals. Upon payment of the registration fee 

 an animal that has the required breed characteristics and both 

 of whose parents are recorded, may be recorded and assigned 

 a registration number. By this means it is possible to trace 

 the; ancestry of any registered animal as far back as the 

 ancestors that were imported. In ordinary use from three 

 to six generations are recorded on the pedigree as studied 

 by the breeder. 



While pedigrees are of great value in making it possible 

 to select breeding animals to better advantage, it is a com- 

 mon mistake to attach too much importance to them. An 

 animal with a pedigree may not be any better than others 

 that are high grades of the same breed. Pedigree alone is 



1 See addresses on p. 289. 



