FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



especially in young birds. White Italian 

 fowls fed cayenne pepper show orange 

 stripes on the breast within 10 days, and 

 later all over the body. The natives 

 along the Amazon have found that feed- 

 ing the green parrot on a certain fish 

 will cause the development of yellow and 

 red feathers among the green. In the 

 wild boar the intestines are nine times as 

 long as the body, in the domestic hog 

 13.5 as long. According to careful 

 determinations made by Krocker, sheep 

 may produce wool twice as fast on a 

 heavy as on a very scant ration. Hun- 

 dreds of instances of this sort are known 

 to feeders. 



Geographical races_The combined 

 action of the soil, light, rainfall, tem- 

 perature, feed stuffs and other condi- 

 tions of different localities results in 

 the production of geographical races 

 suited by a direct process of adap- 

 tation to the conditions which prevail in 

 the respective localities. It is not as- 

 serted that local, natural conditions en- 

 tirely determine the origin and charac- 

 ter of local races of farm stock. Market 

 requirements and the possible profits to 

 be derived are also factors. Allen has 

 found that birds and mammals in this 

 country increase in size as we go north, 

 while the color becomes more intense 

 towards the south, and also towards areas 

 of large rainfall. In Angora, according 

 to Falconer, goats, sheepdogs and cats 

 have fine, silky hair. In England and 

 Scotland every little district has breeds 

 or races of sheep peculiar to it, and, ap- 

 parently, best adapted to its conditions. 

 The character of the soil indirectly 

 through its effect on the forage plants 

 of a given locality is of much impor- 

 tance in determining local races of farm 

 stock, for example the blue grass horses 

 of Kentucky. This matter has not re- 

 ceived the attention which it deserves. 



Variation of parts of body — I n 

 studying variations in farm animals it 

 appears that certain characters or parts 

 of the body may vary quite inde- 

 pendently of all other features. This 

 makes it possible to select animals for 

 breeding purposes without regard to any 

 other point than the one in which we 

 are producing variation. Usually, how- 

 ever, several parts vary at the same time, 

 or, in other words, the variations are to 

 some extent correlated. Bulldogs have 

 short heads and short legs, while grey- 

 hounds have long heads and long legs. 

 Similarly the legs and snout are long in 

 the razorback and short in improved 



breeds of swine. In fact it is almost 

 impossible for one part of the body to 

 vary without affecting some other part. 

 Some of these correlations are easily un- 

 derstood and others are quite peculiar. 

 Thus fowls with tufts of feathers on the 

 head have perforations in the cranium. 

 Pigeons with white, yellow or silver 

 plumage are hatched naked. Blondes 

 seem to be slightly more susceptible to 

 disease. White horses are most likely to 

 be worried by gnats. White dogs are 

 most susceptible to distemper, and white 

 chickens to gapeworm. In some local- 

 ities cats with a reddish coat are im- 

 mune to distemper. Every organ of the 

 body is related in one or more ways to 

 every other organ. The removal of the 

 thyroid gland or its non-development 

 from any cause renders the normal growth 

 and the attainment of normal mental de- 

 velopment impossible in the individual 

 in question. It is a well known fact 

 that sterility may be brought about by 

 in-and-in breeding or by close con- 

 finement or other unfavorable condi- 

 tions. In all animals the reproductive 

 organs are very sensitive to changes in 

 environment, but more so in certain in- 

 dividuals than others. Hence a number 

 of animals in each herd may be sterile. 

 Conversely the reproductive organs ex- 

 ercise a powerful influence upon the 

 rest of the body as shown in part by the 

 extensive changes produced by castra- 

 tion of the bull, ram, stallion or cock. 



Practical methods of breeding — J n 

 the above paragraphs we have at- 

 tempted to review the main scientific 

 facts and theories upon which practical 

 breeding is based. There remain for dis- 

 cussion the practical methods of breed- 

 ing. The fundamental idea of breeding, 

 aside from the mere perpetuation of the 

 breed, is to produce variation in a defi- 

 nite direction. The corner stone of the 

 breeder's work is not heredity, as some- 

 times asserted, but variation, for if there 

 were no variations there could be no im- 

 provement of the breed. By means of 

 heredity the desirable variations are 

 given stability and permanency. Conse- 

 quently, after a breed has been estab- 

 lished, heredity is the important force, 

 since by virtue of it the herd "breeds 

 true" and a guaranty is given of fixed- 

 ness of type. A long pedigree, therefore, 

 gives assurance that variation will not be 

 irregular but in a fixed direction. 



The breeding methods in common use 

 by means of which our modern improved 

 stock has been produced are in-breeding, 



