THE ART AND SCIENCE OP BREEDING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2541, 26 November 1902, Page 8

THE ART AND SCIENCE OP BREEDING.

(American Sheep Breeder for September.) The breeding of amimnls is one of the socalled exact sciences. It is dependent upon some natural laws which are unchangeable and unavoidable. Sometimes the requisite knowledge for success seems to come by nature, by natural instinct, as indeed many other 'natural valuable abilities are acquired. Bub in place of this instinctive acquisition, at times the careful study of the special principles involved in this business may afford such knowledge as to lead to very fair sneeef:?. The fact io, thai the most successful breeders, especially of sheep, may be counter! on one'o finaers : and a few names

only stand as chining marks of success i^f this line. Every one who has, or under* takes, any pursuit must make a study of th< principles involved i<n the matter or eU< it is all accident, and the odds are a hundred to one against successful breeding bjf mere accident. This is essentially 89, for the* reason that even in the most vel«ot *ndP oldest established families and breeds therefis much diversity of form, feature, and dis* position, which must inevitably lead to ir* regularity of type; and this is a backward step, going away from, the progressive lina previously followed. The facts- are than while the fundamental principle to the effecfj that like produces like is the basis of tho whole soienoe and art, yet there must bft in> dispensably a o»rtain personal faculty by which the special features desired to per* petuate may be distinguished and^ under* etood. It is one thing to se'o supernolallyv as one may se* a glorious landscape itt view, but quite another and still more im* portant thing to recognise it ac something to be secured by some distinct process an 9 method, and as w»ll to select the exact materials by which the effect may be surel* produced. It will be clear that much experience is needed to acquire this accurate understanding of the necessities of such special case, and to select precisely the right and best: means by which the desired result may be secured. ■ , We' are not reasonably to think, from al study of what has been done by the mas* ters of the art of breeding, that mistalceb never happen. Quite otherwise. But thg truth is that the greater part of the success of the old", and similarly of the successful modern, breeders, is that natural tact to discover mistakes, as well as to realise success in any effort. The great trouble just! now is that 'this natural tact is not made a basis of business ; that the breeder ia not exact enough in the discovery and de* struction of failures, and hence it is now, a? it always has been, that the most successful breeders are those whose means ard sufficient to elevate them above the mere 1 needs of profit by the sale of their stock. And in fact this brings into prominence the idea that the scientific breeding schools, or the scientific schools devoted to breeding-; should be encouraged; and a class essentially devoted to this special science should be established just as at the present some of the most conspicuous of the agricultural colleges are devoting much attention to the rearing and judging of live stock. Hut ifc 6hould be a rule that the graduates front such schools should pass through a term long enough to get a distinct experimental knowledge of .the results of their work done* Two years' experience is not sufficient time to learn, anything valuable beyond the mere academic principles involved; and it might be desirable to institute a separate and suf» ficiently longer term during which the practice might bo learned in addition to'ths science of it, to sufficiently make successful breeders of the students. We cannot doubt that there are in embryo, waiting for full development, a sufficient number of cnthuf siaetic young men devoted to the breeding of sheep to supply tho demand foe most successful breeders, and we cordially wel» come this valuable aid and help.