404 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JUNE 28. 1-Sr. 



(From the Aihnny Cultivator.) 

 THE PllICOSOPllY OP CROSSES. 



Few persons who have i-fflorteil on t!ie mattfr 

 at nil, will be disiiosutl to deny, that butwocn tliu 

 aniinal orrraiiizution of iimn and of hrntes, thero 

 exists a striking similarity. In the functions of 

 leprodiio.tioii, nutrition, di^jestion ; in the mate- 

 rials of bodily strnctnrc ; in the Gradual reaching 

 of the highest j)oint of animal vigor and perfec- 

 tion, and in a gradual decay ; in the i)incly ani- 

 mal propensities and their consequences; the ac- 

 comidishment of the same ends by the same means, 

 and an identity of results ; man as an animal, and 

 the brute, scarcely difler. This fact does not in 

 the least affect his moral and intellectual distinct- 

 ion and supeiiorily ; it is not these things, strict- 

 ly speaking, that constitute the Mmi. This coni- 

 niunity of coc.stitiitional feelings and functions 

 being clear; the fact may we think, be ailvanta- 

 geously u^:■e^\ in many (piestions of aniuial sympa- 

 thies, habits and organization ; by illustrating those 

 things which are but iniperkctly understood in 

 the animal, by the corresponding habits and syiii- 

 pathies which belong to man as an animal, and 

 which have been made the subjects of closer in- 

 vestigation, and rigid analysis. 



The effect which the iuterndxture of different 

 races of horses, cattle or sheeji, or what in elhir 

 words is called the crossing of breeds, has upon 

 the progeny, in raising or lowering the character 

 of the animal, miiting the good qualities of both, 

 or sinking both to a common standard, is a qucs- 

 tion of tlie greatest interest to the farmer ; ami 

 wliich It is presumed may he made intelligible, 

 and the results better uirderstood hy a considera- 

 tion which such processes have Ujion man, Dr 

 Pritchard lias laid down two lules as the result of 

 extensive observation on this tnalJer, — " Tirst, 

 that the organization <if the offspring is always 

 modelled according to the type of the original 

 structure of the parent ; and, secondly, that chan- 

 ges produced by adventitious or external causes 

 in the appearance or constitution of the individual 

 are temporary ; acquired characters being trans- 

 ient, terminating with the individual, and having 

 no effect on the progeny." 



Illustrations of the first projiosiiion may be 

 foninl in the mixed races of White and Indian in 

 Canada, in North America ; the Spanish and In- 

 dian in South America ; the English and Hindoo 

 in India ; as well as other less distinctly marked 

 instances in other ];arts of the world. In these 

 cases it is invariably founrl, that the progeny is 

 far superior in hardihood and capability of endur- 

 ing the peculiarities of climate t(?"tlie im|)orted 

 jiarent, but iiiferior in mental cai)acity and endow- 

 ments; while its moral and intellectual capacities 

 are propoitionably elevated above the native ra- 

 ces of those countries. As proof, we refer to the 

 half-breeds of the Canada? and (^herokees, many 

 of whom appear to coiidiine the native cunning 

 of the Indian, with the cool deliberation of the 

 white : — to the mulaltoes of St. Domingo, who 

 Jiow hold tliernle of that fertile island in defiance 

 of both whites and negroes ; to the mixed race 

 in Columbia, many of whom are prominent char- 

 acters in the republic, Gen. Paez, now president 

 of Venezuela, for instance ; and to India, where 

 the half-hreeils are so decidedly superior to Eu- 

 ropeans in physical, and to the natives in mental 

 qualities, that they may already be considered as 

 marked out for the future sovereigns of the east. 



In app'ying these principles to the crossing of 

 breerls ofcaltle.it will be sufficient to nienti' ii the 

 improvements eifected by Sinclair and others in 

 Scotland, and by liakewell and others in England. 

 In Scotland, the native breeds of cattle were a 

 small black buffalo looking race, worth little for 

 labor, and still less for llie dairy. Some men, 

 called book firmers, determined to make an ex- 

 periment of iinpioving the stork by crossing the 

 breed, and continuing, if possible, the size and 

 valuable qualities of the English cattle, with the 

 extreme hardihood of tin; native b'ack cattle ; as 

 the former, when pure b'ooded, withstood with 

 difiiculty the severe winters of the Highlands. — 

 The result fully justified their anticipation.^, some 

 most valuable breeds of cattle, among which is 

 the cehdirated Ayrshire, were gradually produced, 

 and have become fully acclimated ; while the 

 black cattle and tartaji have disappeared, except 

 from some of the most remote and unfrequented 

 vallies of that wild country. What has been done 

 in England in improving cattle, we have had oc- 

 ular demonstration before us, in the beautiful 

 dill bred animals that within a year have been 

 imported from abroad ; (larticiilarly those intro- 

 duced hy the patriotic agriculturists of Ohio. 



7he horse too, may be mentioiied as illustra- 

 ting the principle laid down in the abuve extract. 

 The sv^ifi and -beautiful Arabian would be unable 

 to withstand our severe climate and exhausting 

 labor; yet by mixing his pure blood with our har- 

 dier and heavier races of animals, breeds are ob- 

 tained adapted to the climate ; yet combiiiing the 

 fleetness of one, ivilh the hone and muscle of the 

 other. The original qualities of the parents are 

 generally decidedly shown in the offspring, or if 

 partially obscured in one individual, succeeding 

 ones show they are not lost ; the constitutional 

 type remains permanent and unimpaired. 



Perhaps the pernicious effect of breeding in and 

 in, as it is called, that is, propagating races and 

 families without crossing, or paying proper regard 

 to the q'ualities of parents ; and the obvious ben- 

 efits of selecting the best breeds and improving 

 them by crosses, cannot he better shown, than by 

 an example or two selected from well known facts 

 respecting the human family. In Spain anti Por- 

 tugal, and in a less degree, some other European 

 countries, the degeneracy and even idiocy of some 

 of the noble and royal families, caused by con- 

 stantly intermarrying with each others nephews, 

 neices and cousins, is a subject of common re- 

 mark, and obvious to the most careless observer. 

 Viewed phrenologically, their heads show that the 

 mental and moral powers are diminished to the 

 lowest ebb, while their animal organization con- 

 tinually gains in ascendency. The late king of 

 Spain, Ferdinand the 7th, was a striking example 

 of this; as his projecting li()s and chin, and re- 

 treating and sunken forehead, gave his head an 

 aspect more resembling a baboon than a man ; 

 and as was to be expected from such a conforma- 

 tion, in him, the animal powerfully predomina- 

 ted. 



On the contrary, all travellers agree, that the 

 finest specimens of men any where to be seen are 

 to be found among the higher ranks, the nobility 

 and princes of Turkey and Persia. This is ac- 

 counted for hy the fact, that from time immemo- 

 rial, the custom has existed in those countries of 

 purchasing the most beautiful and perfect Geor- 

 gian and Circassian girls, and forming connexiwn 

 with thcin as wives. Perhaps there is no coimiry 



in which can be found individuals in whom the 

 moral and intellectual development is higlier than 

 among these beautiful captives ; and thus, by con- 

 stantly crossing the blood of the nobles of" those 

 countries, vvho alone can be the imrchasers the 

 constant tendency of their lives lo sensuality and 

 mental effeininancy is counteracted. 'J he Lon.' 

 don Quarterly Review, one of the bi-st authorities 

 on the subject, says, that some of the most beau- 

 tiful women in England, if not in the world are 

 to be found among the milliner girls of London • 

 the illegitimate and unowned offspring of the no- 

 bility, from connexion with the most beautiful and 

 iutellect'ial of the middling and lower classes fe- 

 males who have rarely been able lo resist the 

 combined influence of rank and wealth. Tliese 

 facts, which are not to be disputed, seem to jilace 

 the proposition that the progeny will resemble the 

 original structure of the parents, beyond a reason- 

 able doubt. 



'1 here may be exceptions to the rules, indicated 

 hy the above ascertained facts ; as a good cow 

 may have a bad calf, or a bad cow a good one • 

 and now and then a respi ctable, intellectual man, 

 or a beautiful woman, may spring (iom a stot k to 

 which in general, such qualities are utter stran- 

 gers. Itut these changes are temporary, owing 

 to adventitious circumstances, and do not sprinff 

 from any constitutional alteration ; consequently 

 they usually disappear with llie individual. So 

 too in the best races of men or animals, inferior 

 specimens may occasionally be found, yet their 

 progeny will usually have redeeming qualities 

 which show the excellence of ilie stcck (iom 

 which they sprung. Their faults are purely acci- 

 dental or individual ; they do not belong to the 

 constitution of the race, and therefore end with 

 the one on whom the faults are found. 



Experience has shown that there is little dan- 

 ger in breeding from a horse which is not per- 

 fectly unexceptionable, if l.is pedigree shows in 

 both lines an unbroken succession of good blood- 

 his faults do not belong to the bleed, and are 

 therefore, rarely if ever propagated, lint if in his 

 pedigree you find a cross of decidedly inferior 

 blooil, beware lest you do not find the defects of 

 the parent continued in the progeny ; a sure proof / 

 that the difficulty is constitutional, and the defect / 

 one which can no more be got rid of than the \ 

 hair or hoofs. Bad blood will sooner or latef 

 show itself; it is like the disposition to lunacy in 

 certain families, sometimes passing two or three 

 generations, and tlun becoming again fully devel- 

 oped. We have witnessed another illustration 

 of the tenacity with whit h constitutional defects 

 clii.g to a race, in a family in which in botli the 

 male and female lines there is tendency to pro- 

 iluce inilividnals with six fingers and six toes • 

 and in which scarcely a family of children can be 

 found, one or more of which are not distinguished 

 by this extra member. 



The practical inferences we would wish those 

 who are engaged in the laudable efibrt of inqirov- 

 ing horses, cattle or sheep, by crossing breeds, or 

 by iniporling, to draw fioni the above remarks, 

 are first, to get the Lest blood belonging to the 

 breed ; and secondly, to secure animals that com- 

 bine the greatest number of valuable qualities for 

 their experiments. In this way only, can they 

 expect the full success vvhicli should crown their 

 labors. If our native breeds are to be made in 

 part the basis of operations, for instance, a native 

 cow and an imported bull, it is clearly increasing 



