General Principles of Live-stock Production 29 
words, to convert feed into flesh. The general science of 
reproduction is indicated under the head of “animal 
breeding” and the converting of feed into flesh and fat 
as “nutrition.” The science of breeding is too extended 
to take up in this brief space. The essential point which 
must always be observed is the old law of, “like begets 
like”: that is, that good breeding stock produces good 
offspring, and that poor breeding stock produces poor 
offspring, subject of course to many variations, as the 
offspring is seldom the exact duplicate of the parents. 
There are many mysteries connected with breeding, but 
from the standpoint of the practical man on the farm, 
the whole procedure is really based on the one proposition 
of “like begets like.” The difference between the suc- 
cessful breeder and the unsuccessful breeder lies largely 
in the ability of the successful man to know and to judge 
accurately the kind of stock which he. wants to produce, 
whereas the failure of the other is largely in his inability 
to decide accurately the kind of stock which he wishes. 
In other words, it is largely a question of judging, and of 
knowing the live-stock. Good breeders are good judges, 
and the farmer or ranchman who wishes to be a suc- 
cessful breeder must first of all become an expert judge. 
All the science in the world will not make a successful 
breeder of a poor judge. On the other hand many good 
judges have been successful breeders without great sci- 
entific knowledge of breeding and often, in fact, handi- 
capped by more than useless superstitions. 
NUTRITION 
Nutrition includes all the processes by which food ma- 
terial is converted into flesh and fat. The science of 
breeding is concerned with the increase in numbers of 
