On Short-horn Cattle. 
203 
titled to great deference tell us that we should breed from such 
only as in themselves are perfect : this, however plausible in theory, 
will be found untenable in practice; for it may be asked, where do 
ypu find the first parents? A perfect and uniform-shaped beast, 
that lays its fat on every point in equal proportions, is highly de- 
sirable, so as to have no excess in one point to the disproportion of 
another ; and in our endeavours to accomplish this desirable object, 
we should first become acquainted with the defective points in the 
female, and then select a male possessing those points in great 
perfection, and thereby ensure an improvement in their progeny : 
upon this principle hangs all the necessary knowledge for im- 
proving the shape of animals ; but in all our selections we must 
never lose sight of inclination to fatten — the prominent feature of 
the short-horns. Improvements have often been anxiously sought 
for by crossing with other breeds, and many valual)le specimens 
have been exhibited ; but it may be asked, what breed is there 
that can improve the short-horn ? I have seen many extraordinary 
animals from the cross with the West Highland Scot, but we do 
not find their offspring uniformly improving by each succeeding 
cross : there is great uncertainty in their progeny. The polled or 
Galloway Scot progresses with less variation in the produce, and 
continues to improve by subsequent crosses ; but neither of them 
gives anything to the short-horn, though the short- horn adds much 
to them. Alloy being once introduced into any breed of animals 
will at certain times, and that too at very remote periods, show it- 
self in their offspring. In a race-horse, how many crosses from a 
cart-mare would it require to produce a race of animals able to 
compete with the original thorough-bred one ? and if you chanced 
to have one superior animal of that kind, who would dare to venr 
ture upon the next produce as being equal to the thorough-bred 
one ? 
When amendments of any kind are necessary, they may be 
found in some animals of the same species. The breeder on a 
small scale labours under a great disadvantage in this respect, as 
he may be supposed to keep only one bull ; consequently all his 
cows are put to him indiscriminately : if not, he must be at great 
inconvenience, expense, and risk in sending them to other bulls. 
From the vast superiority of the Ketton short-horns, and the desire 
to perpetuate them with pure pedigrees, persons have been in- 
duced to breed from animals of close affinity of blood ; and being 
conscious they could not resort to other families without employing 
inferior animals, and thereby impairing the properties of their 
own herd, various degrees of success have attended this course. 
There are several instances of superior animals bred in the closest 
affinity, whilst in a very great majority of cases the failure has been 
extensive and lamentable. No scientific explanation has been 
