Breedimf of Farm-Stock, 
5 
their legitim.ato influence ? in fact, retracinc: some of the steps 
previously taken in excess. 
The formation of milk we have more under control than the 
powers of reproduction ; for when the mammary glands have 
been brought into a state of activity l)y the birth of a calf or 
other young animal, then the continuance of the flow will be 
influenced by the hereditary character of the parents as well as 
by judicious management. This hereditary influence must not 
be viewed as confined to the female, for I have not the slightest 
doubt on my mind that the constitution of the sire tells power- 
fully upon the offspring in this respect. A bull, the produce ol 
a good milking family, has a tendency to convey this disposition 
to his offspring, and greatly to strengthen similar tendencies 
which may be hereditary on the side of the dam. On the other 
band, the use of a bull descended from a bad milking-family 
leads to the rearing of a class of stock possessing less value for 
the production of milk. In too many cases bulls have been 
preserved for use in ordinary dairies simply because of their 
symmetry or tendency to fatten, without due consideration of 
the milking character of their ancestry. With regard to sheep 
also, 1 remember a very striking instance of the loss of milk in 
a flock (previously celebrated for their supply of milk) being 
traced entirely to the use of a very well-formed ram, bred from 
a ewe singulai'ly deficient in milk. In this case all his stock to 
the second and third generations possessed or imparted this 
undesirable character. A large proportion of the losses in our 
flocks and much of the additional labour and expenses occasioned 
by ewes being short of milk may be traced to this cause. This 
deficiency of milk amongst our ewes is becoming a serious evil 
throughout the country : one, no doubt, which has accompanied 
the introduction of high-bred sheep — rather, let us hope, by 
oversight than as a necessary consequence. Amongst all classes 
of stock — cows, ewes, and sows — we find a great disposition for 
the accumulation of fat usually attended by a deficiency in the 
flow of milk ; but thei-e does not appear to be any reason 
why both of these points of character should not be combined 
in the same individual, as we shall subsequently consider more 
fully. 
The quality of the milk bears an important relationship to the 
quantity which an animal produces. The richness of milk 
depends upon the quantity of the fatty matter present, which is 
more familiarly known as cream and butter. The general struc- 
ture of the animal body, together with its mode of living, also 
appear to control the value of the product. For the production 
ol a rich milk two qualifications are necessary in the animal. 
The first step is to separate and prepare the fatty and nutri- 
