B R E 



B R E 



d!cton has juflly obfcrved, great care fliciild be previoiifiy 

 taken, that thert be a fufficicnt degree of flieiter, Ihadi.-, and 

 warmth, and at the fame time a higli ilatc of feitilily in the 

 land, with fuitable drainage ; as it is only by the riclinefs 

 and abundance of food that fuch changes or improvements 

 can be made in the mod advantageous manner, or the llock 

 be carried to any high ftatc of perfLiition. 



DilTerent modes of pradHce have been followed in the im- 

 proving of hve (lock, but the principal are thofe of crolfing 

 the different breeds, fo as to fupply the imperfedlions a:d 

 defefts of the one by the merits and perfections of the other; 

 and of uniting the valuable qualities or p rfefticns of the 

 fatie icinds by continuing to breed and fekfting the moll p,r- 

 L'lJt animals in the fame line or famdy. 'I'he lornier of thefe 

 methods has been long known and tmpl.iyed ; but the iatttr 

 has, only withni thele few years, beeii fidly mtroduced to 

 the notice of the farmer, and is not, probably, yet fo much 

 attended to as it would feem to deferve. 



It has been commonly fuppofcd, that the pratlice of 

 croffmg the breeds of domellic animals pufTefres various other 

 advantages, as well as thole of prcvcntnig the decreale and 

 degeneracy of the llock, on account of the animals bjing 

 kept from becoming too nearly relate 1 to each othe' . There 

 are ma::y farts, however, which (liew that the luppolition 

 of the degeneracy of animals in confequcnce ot the nearmfs 

 of their relationlhip is not fo well founded as has been com- 

 monly imagined. Tlie compkte iucccfs ot the contrary 

 pradtice ni the management of Mr. Bakewell, who reared 

 his bell llock by the nearcft affinities, not only without de- 

 generacy in any rtfpeft whatever, but with a continued im- 

 provement and amelioration, makes llrongly againft the 

 opinion ; as well as the circumltance of cattle in the wild 

 flate, in particular iituations, remaining for centuries with- 

 out the Icaft alteration taking place in their form, or change 

 in their colour or other properties. It has, notwithlland- 

 ing, been afTerted, that in this fyftem of breeding, young 

 flock decreafe lapidly in fize. If, however, fuch a circum- 

 flance was really apt to occur, it could hardly have been 

 overlooked or dilregarded by the very expert and intelligent 

 breeder juft mentioned, in his long and very extenlive experi- 

 ence of railing various kinds of live ftock, by couphng the 

 moll perfeA animals of the fame line or family. 



There cannot be any doubt, however, but that by the 

 method of crofling the breeds of animals much advantage 

 may be derived, efpecially in what relates to fize, and forae 

 other properties noticed below ; yet it is obvious, that it 

 muft require the niceft care, and the greateft circumfpettion, 

 in order to fuit the animals in the moil exafl manner to the 

 nature of the improvement that is intended, otherwife injury, 

 inllead of advantage, may be the confequcnce. Indeed, from 

 the injudicious and random method in which improvements 

 of live ftock, on this principle, have, in general, been un- 

 dertaken, it does not feem improbable but that injury may 

 often have been produced inftead of benefit, by uniting fuch 

 breeds, as, from the great diffimilarity of their forms, quali- 

 ties, or other propel ties, could not have any chance of efteft- 

 ing the purpofe with utility. Belides, in almofl every dif- 

 trict of the kingdom, where the breeding fyftem is purlued 

 to much extent, ufcful breeds of domeftic animals are aflert- 

 ed to have been injured by the pradlice of injudicious crofTing, 

 as may be feen m the various reports that have been pub- 

 lilhed by the Board of Agriculture : and lord Somcrvillc, iu 

 his excellent view of the fyftem of the Board of Agriculture, 

 has very pertinently remarked, " that to the mountebank 

 doftrines of croffing diffiniilar breeds, whom iiature in its 

 infinite wifdom had let afunder, we are indebted tor much 

 confufion and mifraanagement." It cannot, however, be 



difputcd, but that by purfuing this method with iudgment 

 and proper attention, great advantaj^cs may often be ob- 

 tained, efpecially in regard to bone or fize, and the hide- 

 or coat, as well as in the improvement of particular parti or 

 pomls, and probably in what rciatts to the niovcmrnt or 

 (peed ot the a-imals. The ai-.lhor of " Praflical Apiicf!- 

 turc," has obfervcd, " As it is in fome nieafurc a principle 

 founded in phyfiological fcitnce, ajid countenanced by ihe 

 obltrvat'on aid experience of ages, that animals arc fon-e- 

 what endowed with the laculty of not only propagating an 

 ofTspiing that has, in a confulerable degree, the propcities, 

 dilpofitions, and tefi-mblancts of th.emltlves, but that i?, in 

 fome meafure, fnbjeft to a (imil.'.rity of difcai't ; it would ap- 

 pear, that although there may be occafional d>.vi;:tion-j, the 

 mott certain method, and that which has the beft foundation 

 ni the nature and economy of the anim.al, in fo far as the 

 particular qu.lities and oilier properties, bifides ihofc th.-.t 

 have been j.at mentioned, are concerned, is to breed in the 

 fame line, and. perhaps, in. the fame family ; as by a cartful 

 procedure in this way, the expert breeder may not only have 

 the greateft (ecnrity for attaining that improvement which 

 he is anxious to produce, but run tlie lead rifiv of deteriora- 

 tion." The fucc; f« of this praiTl ice, it is contended, " has 

 not merely been fliewn in the breeding of the farmer's ftock, 

 but alfo in that of the fpo^tfnian, as it has been found that 

 pointers and game cocks have been bred with the greated 

 perfedion and fuperiority in this mode :" and that " it is 

 by the (ame means that the valuable properties of the race-- 

 horfe are perpetuated and preferved." " Tlie fame thing like- 

 wi(e," it is added, " takes place in the vegetable economv, 

 the fiucll and moll perfeft produtlions of this fort being 

 propagated by fuwing feed felcded from the beft and molt 

 perfett plants of the fame kind, and taking the buds or off- 

 letb from the beft and moll perfed trees of the fame fpecics." 

 " There is alfo another circumftance," continues the fame 

 author, " that feems to fticw the propriety and fuperior ad- 

 vantage of this m.ethod of proceeding in the breeding of 

 domclbc animals, wdiich is that, however much the breeds 

 of live ftock m;.y be altered by climate, paftnre, and other 

 canfes, in what rcfpeds their colour and other triflmg par- 

 ticulars, their fpecitic charaders remain invariably the fame. 

 No caules of thele kinds have ever been capahle of 

 changing any one of the dillind breeds, whetlier of neat 

 cattle, (heep, hrrfes, or hog?, in fuch a manner as to have 

 the charaderiftic diftindious of thofe of any of the others." 



On thefe principles it is therefore concluded that " by 

 having recourfe to occafional crofling in the above inten- 

 tions, and the careful fcledion of the moft perfed animals 

 of the fame breed or kind, with due attention to conftant 

 good feeding, the improvement ot live ftock may be car- 

 ried to the greateft perfedion," 



" But as the pri.ic'pal objed of the breeding farmer muft 

 conllantly be tiiat of obtaining fueh animals as will afford 

 him the largell profit, it may be nectffary to afceitain the 

 nature and torm of the animal that may be mofl advantageous 

 in this view, or which pays the beft for the food that is con- 

 fumed, as by this means it will be feen what points arc the 

 moft defirable or uleful in a breed or variety, and what cir- 

 cumftances ought to be attended to, fo ai tojnllity its intra- 

 tluttion in prelerencc lo any other," 



The properties wh-K'h feem the moft particularly to in- 

 tereft the breeder, in his attempts to improve the different 

 forts of live ftock, are princip-ily thole of form or fliapc, 

 fize, difpofition, hardinefs, quick maturity, nature of fJefh, 

 fattening pnperty, mil.k, hide, aptitude for labour, and the 

 quality of the breed, or, in the hu.guag'e of the art, blood. 



With regard to fcnu, the notions of breeders have been 



confider- 



