BREEDING ANIMALS 271 



and develop into an animal at least with acceptable form 

 and quality. Calves should show every evidence of early 

 maturity and natural fleshing qualities. 



BREEDING ANIMALS. 



Breed Type. In selecting a breeding animal of pure 

 lineage, the breed type should receive first consideration. 

 If the animal is lacking in any substantial breed character- 

 istics this is sufficient to cause severe discrimination. Animals 

 which are maintained for the reproduction of pure-bred 

 animals should possess the accepted form and features 

 maintained by the breeders or the organization which cham- 

 pions the cause of the breed. An animal which fails to con- 

 form to breed type is not only at fault itself, but the faulty 

 characters will be reproduced and thus magnify the condition. 

 In establishing a pure-bred herd the type accepted for a 

 foundation should stand for some definite purpose. The 

 breed which is making the greatest headway is the one 

 which has embodied in it the fundamentals necessary for 

 accomplishing the specific purpose in view. If the aim is 

 to breed high-class, pure-bred animals the best is none too 

 good. Unless animals can be produced which satisfy the 

 critical breeder or feeder, it is useless to spend money toward 

 this end. To do this involves a knowledge of breed type or 

 character. The student or purchaser should therefore be 

 familiar with the attributes or type qualifications, which 

 should be an embodiment of correlated utility functions. 



Conformation. The breeding animal is not materially 

 different from the type described under Beef Conformation. 

 The breeding animal, however, should possess scale, an 

 abundance of constitution, and show evidence of capacity 

 both in the digestive and reproductive systems. The con- 

 stitution should be unusually well developed because of the 

 long period of usefulness in these animals. A long, deep, 

 roomy barrel in the breeding female is important, although 

 symmetry and quality should conform with the other 

 requisites of the animal. Males should show strong repro- 

 ductive qualities in the head and crest, and females evidence 



