BREEDING. 431 



fed while young, have often the bony system very disproportionately 

 developed. 



Two modes are generally followed with a view to improving the 

 external shape of domestic animals. One of these consists in only 

 breeding from animals of the most faultless forms of the same race, 

 and generally of close degrees of kindred ; another in crossing 

 females with the males of a neighboring race, each possessing in 

 the greatest degree the qualities which it is held desirable to trans- 

 mit to the future race. The former of these plans is spoken of as 

 the method of breeding in and in ; the second as the method hy 

 crossing. 



Certain disadvantages have been stated as belonging to the sys- 

 tem of breeding in, by the side of several unquestionable and more 

 immediate advantages. While the race acquires small bones and 

 shows a decided disposition to take on fat readily, it is said after 

 several generations to lose in constitution, to become more subject 

 to disease ; the cows to give less milk, and the males, in losing their 

 characteristic masculine forms, to show themselves less fit for pro- 

 pagation. The English breeders who take this view of the subject, 

 are, therefore, in the habit of having recourse to males of the same 

 race, but bred at a distance from themselves. I must for my own 

 part say, that T have seen no reason to admit any ill effects from 

 propagation continued in the same direct line. Our live-stock at 

 Bechelbronn has not been otherwise renewed for a very long time, 

 and without the race appearing to suffer in any way ; our bulk, on 

 the contrary, have very much improved. 



Mr. Cline insists greatly on the selection of females not only of 

 good shape, but so much above the mean height as to approach the 

 standard of the males. When the bull is very much larger than the 

 cow, the progeny is apt to fall off instead of improving ; the reason 

 for which Mr. Cline finds in the large size of the foetus, the issue 

 of a large male, which a small female can neither accommodate 

 properly in her womb, send easily into the world, nor suckle duly 

 when it is born. Whatever we think of this explanation, there can 

 be no doubt of the propriety of giving the principle pointed at the 

 most careful consideration in practice. Mr. Cline refers to the great 

 improvement that has been effected in the breed of English horses 

 mainly through crosses with small barbs and Arabian stallions ; the 

 introduction of Flemish mares would upon the same principle have 

 been another means of still further improving the race. The neg- 

 lect of this principle, Mr Cline is of opinion, lies at the bottom of 

 the numerous failures and disappointments that have been encoun- 

 tered in attempts to improve the breed of horses. A striking illus- 

 tration of it occurred some years back, when bay horses of great 

 height were in particular request ; the Yorkshire breeders had 

 their mares covered by the tallest stallions that could be found ; but 

 they immediately found that the progeny was merely long-legged, 

 that it was narrow-chested, and without either weight or bottom. 



Spencer acknowledges with breeders in general that the bodily 

 »nd constitutional qualities are almost always those that preponder- 



