SC - Medieval cows

[needlwitch@msn.com]

- -----Original Message-----
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
To: sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG <sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG>
Date: Monday, October 05, 1998 8:30 AM
Subject: Re: SC - Medieval cows


>Hi all from Anne-Marie
>Brenna asks us:
>> << Out of curiosity, did they have a seperation of dairy and meat animals
>in
>> period,
>>  or is this simply an anomoly of modern breeding exercises.  I ask only
>> because I
>>  know that breeds of dogs were cultivated and bred in period, so I was
>> wondering if
>>  livestock was as well.
>>
>
>It is my opinion that the concept of breeding as we know it is actually a
>18-19th century thing, ie the gentleman farmers and all that (remember the
>portraits of Lord so and so's favorite bull?). At least that's what they
>told me in my genetics courses (ooo! theres a good primary source! :)) Now,
>I cant believe that the medieval farmer was so stupid as to not notice that
>when you breed a red bull with a white cow you get pink calves :), and that
>he didnt have the brains to extrapolate that a big bull would tend to make
>big babies. But I dont know that they went after it as systematically as we
>do today. Just my opinion...
>


Talking about primary sources; the Christian Bible, in Genisis 30:37-42,
talks about breeding animals, so some farmers must have have some ideas
about how to raise better animals, even back then. My 2 cents.
Thorbjorn the Cook
Shittemwoode/Antir
{Northwest Washington}

"Life is a test. Life is only a test. If this had been a real life,
You would have been given instructions on where to go and what to do."



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