. Breeder and sportsman. Horses. Februahy 28, 1903] f&he gvee&ev cmtr *&v&vi&ntan 13 Concerning the Ram. It has heen said that the ram ib half the flock, and no doubt there is a solid grain of truth in the assertion. To have standing at the head of the flock a mon- grel-lookingNSreature, half-bred and half- fed, not only means that a sheepman is not up to his job, but that the progeny, if there are any, will be stunted, poor and unprofitable. One thing is established in the science of breeding, that a debilitated progenitor will not beget vigorous offspring. How largely the
. Breeder and sportsman. Horses. Februahy 28, 1903] f&he gvee&ev cmtr *&v&vi&ntan 13 Concerning the Ram. It has heen said that the ram ib half the flock, and no doubt there is a solid grain of truth in the assertion. To have standing at the head of the flock a mon- grel-lookingNSreature, half-bred and half- fed, not only means that a sheepman is not up to his job, but that the progeny, if there are any, will be stunted, poor and unprofitable. One thing is established in the science of breeding, that a debilitated progenitor will not beget vigorous offspring. How largely the ancestral vigor affects the measure of vitality, and hence the value of offspring, is not fully realized by breed- ers of live stock generally. Physicians are aware of the large de- gree in which the ills of one generation are predetermined by the gros^ habits of ancestral generations. Breeding for the greatest possible speed in the horse genus has impressed upon the students of this art a realization of the intimate relations existing between all members of the body. One of them cannot be diseased or weak- ened through lack of nourishment without affecting the whole organism, even the organs and germs of procreation. Ihere is little doubt that the great im- provement made in breeds of live stock is due to better nourishment as well as to selection in breeding. It is well known tbat any improved breed that is allowed to fare poorly for a few generations de- teriorates. The English mutton breeds exported to foreign countries and bred under less favorable conditions lose that prize-winning character which we see when they leave British shores. Flocks that are poorly fed lose wool from the face and legs. The features of our domestic animals that have been a quired through the assistance of man âin other word?, man manufacturedâare less fixed in their original character of the breeds, hence most easily lost. Lack of sustenance and change of sur- roundings are not the only influe
Size: 1503px × 1663px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjecthorses, bookyear1882
