THE BATTLE OF THE BREEDS. 



them, whatever be the influence which they exercise meanwhile. 

 Others are tirmly fixed in their minds, with or without sound rea- 

 son, and have a hold whether they relate to good, practical points 

 or not. or to well defined principles, or merely prejudices, imagina- 

 tions, or convictions. 



Many attach too much importance to outward appearances, which 

 are thus variously viewed, not only by various minds, but by the 

 same mind, because these appearances lie in such near relation that 

 each implies the other. For example, take our yearling section of 

 dairy cattle, , at any important agricultural show, and we often feel 

 amused when a judge who has given his awards for a certain prize, 

 turns, round when the same animals are placed before him for an- 

 other prize and reverses his decision. This goes to show that in 

 either instance the judge was working on nothing more than ideas 

 which he had mistaken for sound practical experience. Thus, with 

 all their intimate knowledge of animal life, and of the structure of 

 dairy animals in every stage of development, they have not arrived 

 at a true definition of \vhat constitutes an ideal animal, but are 'forced 

 to enumerate properties and accidents by way of description. Over 

 and over again attempts have been made to determine the leading 

 points of our dairy animals, and they have been called "the , point 

 system of judging dairy cattle," but in every case they wejre am- 

 bitious efforts. Others, endeavouring to be more practical, have 

 introduced cow tests, in order to perfect each breed by keeping no- 

 thing but the highest producers. Cow tests, it is true, have done 

 good, if only for ascertaining the correctness of developments in 

 general; but they are insufficient for the guidance of individuals in 

 the case of so large and complicated a problem as that of dairy 

 cattle breeding. They merely aid one's enquiries, and support one's 

 conclusions on particular points. They are of a scientific and contro- 

 versial, not a practical character, and are. therefore, instruments 

 rather than warrants of right decision. Moreover, they rather serve 

 as answers to objections brought against the actual decisions of 

 judges, than proofs of the correctness of those decisions. Fur- 

 ther, cow tests are no guarantee that the progeny of the highest 

 cows are sure to equal, much less excel, their progenitors, either in 

 quality or constitutional vigor. It is those dairymen who have for 

 a score or more years watched calves grow and develop into heifers, 

 and then from heifers into cows, who should be best capable of 

 forming opinions concerning their neighbour's stock. Yet, alas, how 

 often have we seen these practical men falter when confronted with 

 animals of the same breeding (though raised under different soil 

 and climate conditions), placed side by side in the show-ring, notably 

 the Royal Agricultural show-ring in Sydney. 



Seeing, therefore, the difficulties that beset those beginners who 

 imagine they can, by going on the general appearance of the cattle 

 they buy or breed, produce profitable dairy herds, it is better for 

 them to turn their attention to breed, and endeavour by careful 

 mating and crossing to build up a herd 'from the best herd pro- 

 curable. This statement is made advisedly, as the writer is aware 

 of the difficulty that exists in obtaining the best breed or breeds, 

 and the best strain or strains of this or that breed. Further, it 

 is a most difficult task to convince any number of breeders, that their 

 particular fancy in cattle is not the best in the world. As cultiva- 

 tion brings out the colors of flowers, domestication changes 

 the character of animals; and while it is impossible to lay down first 

 principles in which all will unite, it is utterly unreasonable to expect 

 that this breeder should yield to that, or all breeders to one. T 

 do not say there are no constant basic principles* on which all 

 breeders are agreed, in fact, there are many, but there are some 

 important points that are not sufficiently commanding to be the 



227. 



