42 
\ 
The Value of Pedigree. 
well known tliat the owner of the herd got wet-nurses for all 
his calves, who probably never saw their mothers again after 
they were born. Such a result as that could only be attributed 
to in-breeding — at least, he could assign no other cause. 
In a letter upon this subject which I have received from 
!Mr. G. Drewry, the experienced agent of the Holker estates, 
that gentleman writes : — 
Thera is no doubt that many Shorthorn herds have very much deterio- 
rated in their milkinj? properties. I think tliis is more owing to high feed- 
ing than to line breeding, but both high feeding and line breeding have been 
carried too far. It is the fashion now for many people to rim down pedigree 
Shorthorns, and praise what they call dairy Shorthorns; but when would 
the grand dairy cows we see at our shows have existed had it not been for 
pedigree herds ? The rage for line breeding was very much the fault of the 
Americans, who would not look at an animal unless it was bred in that waj". 
As to the fattening of pure-bred cattle, no one can deny 
that they fatten quicker, and come to maturity sooner, than 
mongrel-bred ones. Think for one moment of the dilference 
between a cross-bred coarse big-boned steer and a pure-bred fine- 
boned one. It will take as much food again, and as much time 
again, to fit the former for the butcher as the latter. Even 
let the former possess equal weight and fatness, which animal 
will the butcher take and give most money for ? There can be 
no doubt it will be the pure-bred one. Again, will the badly, 
coarse-bred cow or steer come to maturity as soon as the pure- or 
well-bred one ? Would it be possible to bring into the market 
the admirable steers which we see now at two years old, or at 
least under three years, if it had not been for the large ad- 
mixture of pure blood ? There can be but one ansAver to such 
queries, and that is that Ave have proof positive of the very great 
advantage of pure blood both in the fatting of animals and in 
bringing them early to market, giving the consumer at the same 
time fine-grained meat of a quality Avhich a few A'ears ago he could 
not obtain. 
It Avill not be thought, from A\diat I have said, that the 
amalgamation of the blood of two breeds will not produce as 
good beef at as early maturity as that of one. As a matter 
of fact, the first cross is pre-eminently advantageous in this 
respect, and the cross betAveen, for example, a Shorthorn and 
an Aberdeen Angus, or a Shorthorn and a Hereford, Avill give 
at once a grand animal and the best of beef. Again, as to 
milking properties, a cross betAveen a Shorthorn and a Jersey 
Avill produce a pre-eminently good milker. These crosses will 
be far better when each animal is pure, instead of half-bred on 
each or either side. 
