with striped and blotched leaved plants, as our court yards are with poultry of various colours, which never are preserved, while they are in a wild state. Thus does man produce varieties both in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, that are different from those diversities that nature had originally formed; but these are of a lefser kind, and though differing in certain respects from the parent stock from which they sprang, they still retain the general habitudes and appearance of the parents, and may easily be recognised as their descend ants. In another manner man has it in his power to diversify the breeds of animals, (and of some vegetables) to suit the purpose he has in view. All the varieties of any one species of animal are seldom to be found naturally in one place. One kind prevails in one region of the world, and another kind in another district; and so of a third or fourth, or any indefinite number. Each of these pofsefs certain peculiar characteristic qualities, which may render one breed much more proper for one purpose than another is*. To select from all this diversity, that par *I here speak as a practical improver, without hesitation or doubt; for in whatever way the philosophical question about the varieties of domestic animals may be finally solved, there can be no doubt, but that the practical farmer may safely trust to each breed propagating its kind in preference to that of another. Let the philosopher argue as long as he pleases to convince him that all the varieties of horses are the same, and that therefore it is of no consequence to him what kind he breeds from, seeing culture, food, and care, have produced all the diversities; the plain farmer knows, that the man who was to expect to have a horse that would excel in the race, by breeding from a hea vy Flanders mare and stallion, would be little better than a bedla ticular breed which possesses in the most eminent des gree the qualities he wants, opens up to the atten tive econome a wide range for observation and experiment. But if all this were done, his progrefs does not stop here. He may find, after he has examined them all, that certain peculiarities which might be useful to him, are not to be found in the highest degrec pofsible in any one of these. He may observe that if the carcase of one were mended in certain respects, by being blended with that of another, it would be better than either; and so of fleece, hardinefs &c. &c: so that by crossing one breed with another, a mongrel kind might be produced, that would be more beneficial to him than that of either of the parents. Thus may he mix and compound them as it were at pleasure; and in this way he may produce another diversity of breeds, that nature never would have produced without his intervention. Thus does it appear that animals, if left to breed. by themselves in a wild state, would naturally preserve the varieties distinct and separate from each other, so as seldom if ever to produce any new varieties, and that of course if there had been originally but one only of each species, the probability is that that one kind would never have deviated into a great mite. Here therefore I wish to put philosophical subtleties, which may have a tendency on some occasions to confound the understand. ing, entirely out of the question, and refer to plain matters of fact. About pofsibilities, our limited knowledge forbids us to pronounce; here a probability, which may be as ten thousand to one, is, for every practical purpose, to be considered as a certainty. Oct. 6 diversity of kinds. And though after they come under the power of man, he may produce certain lesser variations, that may be deemed a kind of varieties; yet as these his artificial productions, are never any thing else than either small modifications of a particular breed, which still retains its general qualities distinct, or an evident compound of two kinds already known, we may in general conclude: that aș certain breeds of sheep, we will say, which are placed at a great distance from each other, and distinguishable by very striking peculiarities, are to be found in situations where the hand of man can scarcely be supposed ever to have had a preceptible share in altering them by culture, there have been originally a considerable number of varieties of this useful species of animal, which were endowed with different qualities, instincts, powers, and propensities; and that it behoves us now to ascertain, by careful observation, and accurate experiment, the distinguishable peculiarities of each variety, if ever we hope to draw the utmost pofsi ble benefit from the rearing of it. The practical inferences from the whole of this investigation then are: That there are to be found dispersed over this globe, many varieties of every species of useful domestic animal: that the particular distinguishing peculiarities of each cannot be known, until they fhall have all been examined by persons of fkill; and accurate comparative trials made, to as certain all these peculiarities: we can never therefore say that we have reached nearly the ultimate perfection that this department in economics is naturally susceptible of, till this all first have been done. 1 If this were once done, it would not be a matter of very great difficulty, to judge with a probable degree of certainty, of the means of producing a mongrel breed that should tend to augment the peculiar qualities that were wanted at the time*. And if both these improvements were effected, the ultimate degree of perfection in any one respect can * It has been often afserted with great positiveness, and is very generally believed, that an infertile breed of animals produced between two distinct species of animals, as the mule procreated between the horse and the afs, or the jumarre between the cattle tribe and the horse, pofsefs qualities that render them much more valuable than either of the parents by themselves; certain qualities indeed that seem to be sui generis, and not merely a compound of those of the two parent animals. I pretend not to say that this is certain, but if it be, it may afford reason to believe that mongrels, produced between two varieties of the same species, may in some respects pofsefs not only the compounded qualities resulting from a mixture of the two, but some other peculiarities superadded, that may render them still more serviceable to man. In confirmation of this opinion, I have, since the above was written, met with the following remark, in a book entitled a general view of the agriculture of the county of Middlesex, drawn up by Thomas Baird, for the consideration of the board of agriculture and internal improve ment." Speaking of the improvements by the celebrated Mr John Hunter at Earls court, in the parish of Kinsington, he says p. 42. "This gentleman has at present a very beautiful little cow from a bufaloe and an Alderny cow. This animal is in some measure kept for her beauty; and what adds to it, she is always plump and fat, whether in summer or winter, and upon much less food than would be sufficiect to support a beast of the same size of the ordinary breed. I do not find that the exceeds in quantity of milk, but the quality is very good, and it is certain she can be fattened at much less expence than an ordinary cow of the same size.” If this should be a general rule, and not a particular exception to it, it would be a very beneficial improvement indeed. Farther experiments must ascertain this point. only be attained by a continued careful and uninterrupted attention to the individuals of the breeding stock, that with a distinguifhing eye every valuable peculiarity which accidentally arises, may be instantly siezed and perpetuated, and every hurtful sin gula. rity, be carefully banished from the breeding flock: Among the females this is of great use; but among the males, the importance of it is proportionally greater for a female can only rear one, or at most two young in a season, so that the flock is either benefited or hurt to that amount by her progeny; but above an hundred may in some cases spring from a single male, and of course the flock will either be deteriorated or improved in the same ratio, by a judicious choice of the male or the reverse. * * No attempt that I know of has ever been made in practice to ob↓ tain the improvements that might be gained under the two first heads, unless the trials now making by the society for improving British wool, and those made by some enterprising individuals, as Warren Hastings Esq, Sir Joseph Banks, Mr John Hunter, Thomas Johnes Esq, M. P. and a few others, who have of late imported from distant regions some valuable domestic animals not hitherto known in this country, not for the purpose of being led about as a fhow, to amuse an idle curiosity, but for the purpose of propagating their breed, and thus giving room for comparative experiments between these and other animals of the same kind, may be so called; and the alterations that have been made by importing horses into England, and breeding from them, which give ample encouragement to follow a similar plan for improving oth 'r breeds of domestic animals. With regard to the last mode of improvement, that by selection only of the best individuals of the same kind, and breeding from these, the practice of Mr Bakewell, all of whose experiments are reducible to this clafs, abundantly shows the amazing lengths to which improvements may be carried by this kind of attention continued for a long time. This man, whose name will long be mentioned with respect among agricultural improvers, raised his flock by this means |