QUALIFICATIONS OF BREEDING ANIMALS 71 



is usually not only shortened but in many instances the 

 quality of the offspring is not what it would be under 

 ordinary conditions. The varied experience of the construc- 

 tive breeder in watching the process of development and 

 fattening enables him to determine the probable underlying 

 structure with considerable accuracy. A breeder who 

 possesses this experience can often select a highly fitted 

 animal with profit because he recognizes value which the 

 average person would fail to detect. While this plan of 

 selection may be followed by breeders of this stamp, it is 

 not generally recommended for the average stockman. 



QUALIFICATIONS OF BREEDING ANIMALS. 



There are certain distinctive qualifications required of 

 breeding animals which render them most useful from the 

 viewpoint of the breeder and the showman. 



Breed Character. Breeding animals, strictly speaking, 

 are those of pure lineage with the blood lines sufficiently 

 concentrated so that certain distinctive breed features are 

 reproduced in every detail. Pure-bred animals are char- 

 acterized by certain features or breed markings which 

 typify or distinguish them from all other breeds and which 

 are under the proper, conditions uniformily transmitted to 

 the offspring. As these breed features or markings should 

 represent utility qualifications, breed type becomes an 

 important factor in judging pure-bred animals. The term, 

 breed character, should be taken to signify the characters or 

 features which typify standard representatives of the breed. 

 From an economic standpoint those breed characters or 

 features which qualify from the practical standpoint are 

 the ones which should be instrumental in defining the 

 purpose of a breed. Unfortunately, such a condition has 

 not always existed, and because of this some breeds qualify 

 in a measure because of those characteristics or markings 

 which are not essentially of value. 



Breed character is a supreme mark which dominates 

 all animals deserving of the highest rank among breeders. 

 While breed character is of vital importance in judging 



