The Dangers Of Prosperity

Whciicver any breed attains to such :i dcgrco ot' poularity that ail of its representativos, williout regard to uierits are used lor the purposes of reproduetion, that brood will at once begin to deteriórate, bccause tliore never was and never will bc a braad of domeaticated Miimah in which all ofita memben are well formed and froc IVuMi dsreota. The universal popularity of Sborthoro cattle during the past half-oentury, aud the eonsc(ucntly largo deniand for breeding stock of that strain, lias unduubtedly liail a damaging effect upon the hreed itself, becau.se, the priinary object of tlmse who had puro Shorthorns haviug been to multiply nunibers rather than to kiep up the (uaüty which gave the breed itn rcputatioii, ihe importauce of selecting only the best and of lejecting impcrfcctly formed anímala baa been entirely lost sight of. Kverjjthing that had a pedigreü has been ooneidoreil good enough to breed I'miiii, ayd tlie ti.v-.ult ha.-, been jast wbat mu.-it always folluw meh a praetiee. On lliiMither hand, Üio comparative obscurity of the llerfords, and tho liuiited demand lor breeding stock of that sort during the same period, has redoundcd greatly to the benefit of the breed. The demand liaving been greatly below the production, lare nunibiTs of pure Heríbrd tmll calves have annually been ohaoyjed into steere, and none hut tho very )ct of eithor sex have been kept for breediog imrposes. As a reaalt, the average Hertford hu undoubt cilly within the same period beou greatly improved. ]?ut now that tho tide is setting strongly in their favor, and everything that has a white lace Í3 being sought aftcr tbr brceding purposes, there is enj inent dangcr that deterioration will be the result. In fact, without great care on the part of the leading breedera to keep up tlu1 (uality of their stoek by riid selcction of the best for breeding purposes, deterioration is inevitable. Tho great demand that has sprunff np within the past ycar for thorougilbred Imlls to grade up the cattle of the plains, we oannot look upon as n utmiixed good, for, while inferior gpeoimeM of the thorouglibrod Sborlhorn, Devon, ot Brotord will be found loss objeetionablo when used as ,i croas upon the couiuhui stool ut the plains than when coupled with purelybred Ceñíales of thcir own breed, yet eveu here il is sure that 1 1 1 1 ¦ inli liority ol' the t-ire niay bc Iransuiittcd, rather than the ajood iii:i!ities of the breed of whicli ho is a deKeneraie Mpreasntaliv ; and here, as in most other depsrtmeota of trade, the beat