Chap. XX. BY SEMI-CIVILISED PEOPLE. 205 



imperial edict recommends the choice of seed of remarkable 

 size; and selection was practised even by imperial hands, for 

 it is said that the Ya-mi, or imperial rice, was noticed at an 

 ancient period in a field by the Emperor Khang-hi, was saved 

 and cultivated in his garden, and has since become valuable 

 from being the only kind which will grow north of the Great 

 Wall. 49 Even with flowers, the tree pseony (P. moutan) has 

 been cultivated, according to Chinese traditions, for 1400 years ; 

 between 200 and 300 varieties have been raised, which are 

 cherished like tulips formerly were by the Dutch. 50 



Turning now to semi-civilised people and to savages : it 

 occurred to me, from what I had seen of several parts of South 

 America, where fences do not exist, and where the animals are 

 of little value, that there would be absolutely no care in breeding 

 or selecting them ; and this to a large extent is true. Roulin 51 

 however, describes in Colombia a naked race of cattle, which are 

 not allowed to increase, on account of their delicate constitution. 

 According to Azara 52 horses are often bom in Paraguay with curly 

 hair ; but, as the natives do not like them, they are destroyed. 

 On the other hand, Azara states that a hornless bull, born in 

 1770, was preserved and propagated it race. I was informed of 

 the existence in Banda Oriental of a breed with reversed hair ; 

 and the extraordinary niata cattle first appeared and have since 

 been kept distinct in La Plata. Hence certain conspicuous va- 

 riations have been preserved, and others have been habitually 

 destroyed, in these countries, which are so little favourable for 

 careful selection. We have also seen that the inhabitants some- 

 times introduce cattle on their estates to prevent the evil effects of 

 close interbreeding. On the other hand, I have heard on reliable 

 authority that the Gauchos of the Pampas never take any pains in 

 selecting the best bulls or stallions for breeding ; and this probably 

 accounts for the cattle and horses being remarkably uniform in 

 character throughout the immense range of the Argentine republic. 



Looking to the Old World, in the Sahara Desert "The 

 ' Touareg is as careful in the selection of his breeding Mahari 



49 ' Kecherclies sur l'Agriculture des vol. xii. p. 253. 



Chinois,' par L. D'Hervey-Saint-Denys, 51 'Mem. de l'Acad.' (divers savans), 



1850, p. 229. With respect to Khang-hi, torn, vi., 1835, p. 333. 



see Hue's < Chinese Empire,' p. 311. 62 « Des Q uad rupedes du Paraguay ' 



. 50 Anderson, in « Linn. Transact.,' 1801, torn. ii. p. 333, 371. 



