SOME PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3384, 22 January 1919, Page 13

SOME PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING.

An informative article on "Some Principles of Breeding" recently appeared h> the Live Stock Journal, in which it warn emphasised that it is most essential tO have a clear idea of the type of animal w* wish to breed, and to that end we muss keep a sort of clear mental picture constantly before us. Many start off withou* any clear idea as to what type of animal they want to breed, and a heterogeneous collection is got together which in the end turns out &_ disappointment. Breeders m the real sense of the word * are born and not made, and, howevetf strong a desire a man may have to achieve distinction in the pedigree live stock world. unless ha is possessed of the real breeders'* instinct he will never get to the top. It is necessary also to have a knowledge of the scientific principles of breeding. Those principles as an art must be understood, and there must be that instinctive knowledge in the mating ot animals which never seems to fail.

Those who begin without giving the. matter any thought soon find it out We so often aee herds started by collecting a score or so animals no two of which are s alike, neither typo, pedigree, nor characteristics being considered. It takes aboul a lifetime to form a fixed type out of collections of this kind, and long before 1 then they dispersed to the four winde in disgust. Breeding pedigree cattle requires much thought, patience, and perseverance, and, in the case of one with no natural genius in that way, a long apprenticeship as well. It is to the men of genius, born breeders, that we owe our best types of cattle, but we also owe much to those men of untiring energy and persoverance who have spared neither time nor money in helping to perfect that particular type of animal which they thought th« most likely to pay the rent and improve |; the ordinary stock of the country. { A man, of course, is not bound to be * a genius to be a successful breeder of Eedigree stock (such men are rare birds), ut he must have clear ideas and knovrwhat he ' wants, and make up his mind to get it. The man of genius can see more quickly how to mate h"is animals to bring out the points he desires, and to maintain his particular type, but the; careful, plodding breeder gives the matter all his thoughts and brings his experience to bear in mating his stock, and, though he has disappointments, yet in the end ha attains his ideal. Herds in the hands of men with a, natural gift for breeding, or who bring* a long experience coupled with perseverance and a few pickings of other men'l brains, are almost certain to make a name* Great Breeders Have Ideals. —

The groat Shornhorn breeders of the past —Bates, Booth, and Cruickshank —had their ideals. They were all men of genius, and born with the natural gift for oreeding. Their whole life and being was given up to breeding their cattle- up to those ideals They all attained them, and never departed from them, albeit Amos Cruiokshank, as we have recently proved, waa many years before he got his herd quite as he wished it to be. Yet thoy all knew exactly the kind of animal they wanted, and got it because they each understood the scientific principles of breeding. Bates des'ired in . his oattle milking qualities, combined with great refinement in appearance and form, with moss-like coats and glove-like skins, or in short, high quality. Booth bred for the grazier—cattle of great frames, deep quarters, well-sprung ribs, and heavy flesh. The Booth cattle had not the refined look of the Bates sorts, but had much more substance. Cruiokshank went for the thick, blocky type with big middles, showing great digestive powers, which would turn turnips and straw to the best account in the yards in winter Then it is quite clear to us to-day that the first improvers of the Hereford had a fixed view, whioh thoy kept well in front of them—that of a quick-finishing cart case of beef. The Aberdeen-Angus pioneer* also went on the same strong lines —1.e., the production of a well-covered beef carcase, and beef of first-rate quality, too. after a clearly defined type of cattle waa evolved So long as these pioneers lived thoy retained in their cattle that tvpe and those characteristics which made them and their cattle world-famous, and what has been lost In the meantime has been due to lack of knowledge of the true principles of breeding on the part of those who merely trusted too much to chance. Breeding is not haphazard work. It really means the guiding, controlling, and development of some of the hidden principles of Nature, so as to produce in animals forms that are as nearly perfect as possible, and in accordance wtih the ideals of the breeder.

Pedigree must be studied, and the laws, too, which govern the principles of reproduction, if man is to tell with any degree of accuracy what will be the result of a cross between two animals, .of different families only distantly related, or perhaps not at all. Breeding! would bo a much more simple task if we had only one poinfc of excellence to secure, but there are many, and we must all strive to get all-round excellence, following the type and characteristics for which the herd, has been bred. Take symmetry, for example, as.being on* point of excellence. No question in breeding; has received more attention than that. W© all know that any animal which doe* not possess correct linos and form indicative of careful breeding can never hop© to win In a show yard. All the old pioneer breeders of each breed had a keen eye to form, and it was their greatest task to mould their cattle into more regular shape. They knew thai

bo much depended on it, inasmuch as without proper shape there cannot be that development of meat-carrying capacity which is so much desired; and in dairy cattle, too, those of bad shape arc not as a rule good milkers, and a capacious udder is essential to a heavy yield, and the capacity of the udder depends to a great extent on its shape. The securing of one great point often governs others, as in the ease of symmetry; ut character, style, and quality are all important, and, however symmetrical an animal may bo, that point often loses its value through lack of other essentials which go to make the perfect animal. How often have wo seen an animal of almost perfect symmetry spoiled from a breeder's point of view by a common head and horn, and many a good-looking dairy cow spoiled by a badly-shaped udder. -We must have very clear ideas and an inborn instinct if we are ever to aspire to the fame which the great improvers attained, and although there are some great breeders to-day, they are ; after all, but carrying on the work which the pioneers brought to perfection in their day, and which lost ground through a failure to follow the true principles of breeding on the part of some of those who camo after them.