Farm live stock of Great Britain / by Robert Wallace.

  • Wallace, Robert, 1853-1939.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Farm live stock of Great Britain / by Robert Wallace. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    58/1238 (page 18)
    female progeny; and the Yorkshire coaching horse is the result of crossing the old Cleveland Bay with the thoroughbred. Darwin, quoting Spooner, says: — “ Nature opposes no barrier to successful admixture; in the course of time, by the aid of selection and careful weeding, it is practicable to estab- lish a new breed. After six or seven generations the hoped- for result will in most cases be obtained; but even then an occasional reversion or failure to keep true may be expected.” The recently formed Romney-Lincoln sheep of New Zealand is an example. Certain distinct breeds of sheep are not sexually attracted to each other. This is most observable when a ram is put to a mixed flock of ewes, half of which belong to another breed than his own. He attends first to those of his own kind, and either wholly or, more frequently, partially neglects the others. In certain instances the difference of the habits of mountain and lowland sheep run in one flock does to some extent account for the difference of results, but not so when the animals mingle freely in confined areas. Crosses between two distinct breeds mated the proper way make the best fattening animals. The sire should be of the more improved breed as regards early maturity qualities, unless both are equally good ; for example, the Shorthorn bull breeds well with cows of milking breeds, or of slow maturing sorts, as Kerry, Dexter, Ayrshire, West Highland, or Galloway. Crossing in any other way is usually un- successful. Of late years, since the Polled Angus breed has been so much improved, farmers cross Shorthorn cows suc- cessfully with Angus bulls (p. 169). In farm stock it has been fallaciously but very generally believed that the male contributes specially to the external shape, the female more to the vital and internal organs, in spite of the fact that a calf has often a very strong likeness to its mother in expression and in form. With a thoroughbred horse on a mare of another breed, the resulting offspring has generally a symmetrical appear- ance. A cross bred the other way is often strong and useful, but plain, usually about the hind quarters and head. Sheep come under the same rule as cattle. Rams of any of the improved varieties of Leicesters or Downs may be used with advantage, under certain conditions, to put to