THE STUDY OF THE BREEDS 3 
The distinctive characters of each breed are the result 
of definite factors operating during the formative period 
of the breed. The chief of these are the origin, which 
determines their hereditary bent; the environment, in- 
cluding the location, topography, nature of the soil and 
vegetation; and the ideals to which the breeders have 
selected, governed, of course, by the type of farming or 
industry in which they are engaged. Any one exclu- 
sively, two or all may be chiefly responsible for the types 
that prevail in the different breeds. 
The study of the breeds is most comprehensively con- 
ducted, therefore, under the following headings: Intro- 
ductory statement; history, both ancient and modern, 
the latter dealing with the breeds in this country especially, 
in the case of foreign breeds; a description of the typical 
representative ; the uses to which his breed characteristics 
best adapt him; his distribution throughout the world 
as the result of his adaptability and usefulness; the or- 
ganizations which promote the interests of the breed and 
record the pedigrees; and finally, the best sources of 
additional information concerning each breed. 
Breeds of live-stock, unlike many of the poultry breeds, 
for instance, have been builded on a utility basis and 
they can, therefore, be grouped according to the types 
to which their representatives conform. Types, it should 
be understood, are market or producer’s creations, dif- 
ferentiated on the principle that a distinct form is corre- 
lated with a definite function. 
All members of a group possess the type characters, 
in common, while the features by which the members of 
the type group may be distinguished constitute the breed 
characters. 
