calf or the family. She is sent where she
should have gone years before--to the butcher. The disappointed owner
in future buys the cheapest animals that come to hand. If pedigree be
ignored, and the sire be of doubtful antecedents, except in an
accidental case, the progeny will be at the best of medium quality; but
by ordinary precaution such loss may be avoided.

Breeding in-and-in has some advantages and many advocates. It is a
knotty point to touch upon. At the commencement I stated that my own
experience led me to adopt a middle course; that experience has not
been in favour of the system. By adhering to it I found that quality
was maintained, and even improved; but size was reduced, and symptoms
of delicacy of constitution were manifested. It may be pursued for a
time, until the type is developed, but to continue for any length of
time to breed _in_ and in, is not only against my experience, but,
I believe, against nature.

In looking over a herd of breeding cattle, I have often seen the owner
or the cattle-keeper pointing out a cow that throws a good calf, and
never threw a bad one, and at the same time telling you how great a
milker she is. It would be difficult to buy such a cow too dear. Most
of the above remarks may apply alike to the home farm of the
proprietor, to the large and small farmer, and to the crofter with one
cow. It is well known to breeders of cattle, and I believe of sheep,
that there are particular races that are celebrated, and upon which you
can calculate that they will never propagate an inferior animal.
Specimens not so desirable will now and again appear, but the blood is
there, and the divergence will not be great from the desired type.
Again, there will be one race noted for producing celebrated males, and
another for producing celebrated females. A bull may be introduced that
is a great getter of bull calves, yet the change may not be to the
advantage of the owner, as the female calves will not be bred of so
high an order. Professor Thury, of Geneva, has written a very
interesting paper on the law of the production of sexes. In a letter to
me, dated 14th February 1864, he says: "There are, if the owner
pleases, two periods of heating: the one the general period, which
shows itself in the course of the year, following the seasons; the
other, a particular period, which lasts in cows from twenty-four to
forty-eight hours, and which reveals itself a certain number of times.
It is this pa