290 
BREEDING FARM STOCK. 
consanguinity in blood amongst parents, leads to degeneracy 
in the offspring; for this has been denied with respect to the 
breeding of sheep — particularly by the success of Mr. V. 
Barford, near Towcester, Northamptonshire, who has re- 
tained the same breed for many years. Mr. S< F. Anderson, 
of Rutlandshire, has said, — “ Mr. Barford’s sheep are bred 
in-and-in by art, whilst the white-breed of cattle in Chilling- 
ham Park have, for more than 1000 years, been bred by 
nature ; and deer in a park have for ages bred in-and-in. 
Surely, then, when it is beyond dispute that all these possess 
the stamina, size, and constitution of their original creation, 
the opponents of Mr. Barford’s system must have stronger 
grounds for declaiming against it than any hitherto attempted 
to be substantiated.” 
By judicious selections of healthy and well-formed animals, 
varieties are obtained. Mr. Barford’s breed are acknow- 
ledged to be a very small race: and in those cases where 
close affinities have been brought together, and the offspring 
are defective in any point, they are fattened and killed, and 
hence would not be allowed to breed. 
It is only the very best that are allowed to continue the 
race. The wild male animals alluded to, are known to roam 
to a great distance for strange females, particularly the buck, 
and will not couple with his own associates. Man, in the 
wild states of New Holland, steals his female from another 
tribe at night. 
The principal authority I have for w hat has been said by 
me, is from my ow n experience, and the lectures of W. Law- 
rance, before the Royal College of Surgeons, in 1819. In 
describing varieties of animals, Mr. Lawrance says, any va- 
riety of form may be continued : — <£ A breed of sheep, w 7 ith an 
extraordinary number of horns, as three or five (ovis polycerata ) , 
occurs in Iceland, and is accounted a mere variety.” 
ee A breed of sheep w as lately produced in America, the 
origin and establishment of which confirm the positions 
already brought forward. A ewe produced a male lamb of 
singular proportions and appearance ; his offspring, by other 
ewes, had, in many instances, the same characters with him- 
self. 
ie These w r ere, shortness of the limbs and length of the 
body, so that the breed was called the otter breed, from 
being compared to that animal. The fore-legs were also 
crooked, so as to give them in one part the appearance of an 
elbow; hence the name e ancon’ was given to this kind of 
sheep. They w ere propagated in consequence of being less 
able to jump over fences. They can neither run nor jump 
