286 
BREEDING OE FARM STOCK. 
nearly approaching to a state of nature possess the greatest 
tendency to produce milk. The formation of milk is a pro¬ 
vision of nature to supply food for the young offspring; it 
precedes the birth of the young animal, and is generally 
most abundant in those animals which breed most freely. If 
however, by domestication we produce an animal possessing 
peculiar qualities which differ from the natural character of 
the dam in its wild condition, then the powers of reproduction 
are decreased and the energy of the system is also reduced 
for the formation of its accompanying product, milk. Al¬ 
though these two points of character—viz. a disposition to 
breed and an aptitude for the secretion of milk—usually in¬ 
crease and diminish similarly, yet there are good reasons for 
believing that, like other functions of the animal organism, 
we may materially increase the formation of milk even when 
the breeding-powers are naturally weak. In producing 
animals which differ materially from the type of the animal 
in its wild condition, we find that natural barriers present 
limits beyond which we cannot pass, and consequently by 
degrees we approximate to instances of barrenness in the 
offspring. To meet this difficulty we have to adopt measures 
for giving increased vigour to the system, or, as we commonly 
term it, to strengthen the constitution of the animal; but 
what are the measures adopted for this purpose other than 
allowing the natural habits of the animal to exert their 
legitimate influence? in fact, retracing 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 by 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 in¬ 
fluence must not be viewed as confined to the female, for I 
have not the slightest doubt on my mind that the consti¬ 
tution of the sire tells powerfully upon the offspring in this 
respect. A bull, the produce of 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 hand, 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 pre¬ 
served 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 
