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rect a fault is frequently successful. It would be better that none 
of the females from which a man intends to breed should be 
faulty in shape to any considerable degree ; but it almost always 
will happen that some animals possessing an excellent constitution, 
good blood, and a great propensity to fatten, and therefore such as 
the owner would very unwillingly cull, will fail decidedly in some 
part of their shape. I would say that, when this is the case, it is 
worth while to try the experiment of putting to them a male re- 
markable for his perfection in this failing part ; and, in my opinion, 
such a male will be more likely to correct the fault, than one who 
shews no one part of his shape very superior to the rest. The 
late Mr. Cline, whose eminence as a surgeon is very well known, 
published a tract upon the breeding of domestic animals, which 
contained, as might be expected, most valuable information. His 
suggestions are such as ought to be very carefully attended to ; but 
it is probable that his meaning has been mistaken in one recom- 
mendation which he gives, namely, that in which he is understood 
to say that it is always desirable that the male should be smaller 
than the female. When he makes this observation he is speaking 
of the crossing of different breeds, and probably only means that, in 
a cross between a large breed and a small one, the male should be 
taken from the small breed, and the female from the large one. It 
is hardly possible that he intended to say that in the same breed the 
male ought to be smaller than the female, because this is contrary 
to the practice of nature. In every description of land animal with 
which I am acquainted the males are of a larger size than the fe- 
males. The attempt also to follow this advice would undoubtedly, 
in a few generations, so very much reduce the size both of males 
and females, as considerably to diminish their value. I can say, 
from my own experience, that some of the best-shaped animals 
which I have bred have been produced by following a contrary 
course. I prefer breeding from large females ; but if I do breed 
from one which I think too small, I put to her the largest male of 
good shape that I possess. As one instance among several to prove 
that this course may be successful, the ox which I shewed in the 
fourth class, at the last Smithfield show, and which obtained the 
prize in that class, was by the largest bull I have, from a cow so 
small, that I culled her after she had bred that one calf. It must 
be admitted that the theoretical reasoning which Mr. Cline ad- 
duces in support of this recommendation appears to be very con- 
clusive ; but, even in the restricted sense in which I understand it, 
there is some doubt whether it is practically correct. The most 
successful cross between two different breeds of cattle of which I 
am aware, was the one between a Durham bull and a Galloway 
Scotch cow, made by Mr. Charles Colling. The produce from 
