bred

mimi2

Senior Member
vietnam vietnamese
Is "bred" used here?
"They bred/raised types of corn that ripened quickly which those that ripened more slowly."
Thanks a lot.
 
  • Not quite.
    I don't get the meaning of your sentence. What are you trying to say?

    They cross-bred types of corn which ripened quickly.
    They hybridised types of corn which ripened more quickly than existing types.
     
    Breed is the second most common word usd in AE by cattle ranchers, after raise. "We breed Holstein cattle," for example, would be a very standard way of describing what a rancher does.

    To my mind it applies pretty much exclusively to animals, whereas raise is used both for livestock and crops. "We raise blue corn for a local specialty market" sounds fine, and I think "we grow blue corn..." is a little more common. "We breed blue corn sounds a little strange."

    Bred is used in any case where breed is needed in the past tense.
    .
     
    Breed is the second most common word usd in AE by cattle ranchers, after raise. "We breed Holstein cattle," for example, would be a very standard way of describing what a rancher does.

    To my mind it applies pretty much exclusively to animals, whereas raise is used both for livestock and crops. "We raise blue corn for a local specialty market" sounds fine, and I think "we grow blue corn..." is a little more common. "We breed blue corn sounds a little strange."

    Bred is used in any case where breed is needed in the past tense.
    .

    I would also see it, from a BE viewpoint, as only applying to animals. Pollinate or cross pollinate would be a "technical" version of the same things with plants.
     
    Hi,
    The correct answer is "raised" but I don't think so.
    Here is the paragraph. Please tell me whether I'm right or wrong.

    "Botanists can improve the plants themselves. Botanists can produce new plants by crossing different plant varieties. These new varieties are often stronger and healthier than the old ones. Some can live in environment where the parent variety would not have survived. Others can grow better in their present environment. Hybrid corn is an example. Botanists began working wiith about twenty five years ago. They wanted to develop varieties of corn which could be bred in many different parts of our country. They also wanted to increase the field of corn per acre.
    Botanists used scientific methods in their work. They raised types of corn that ripened quickly with those that ripened more slowly. They bred varieties which gave large fields with those with gave smaller yields but could grow in various climates. Finally they produced types of corn which can be raised profitably in every state and which grow big yields.
     
    I agree with bibliolept. I think you can use breed with plants, but it suggests the actual genetic process. For instance, your second "bred" seems fine to me:

    They bred :tick: varieties which gave large fields with those with gave smaller yields but could grow in various climates.
    I don't like your first "bred" as much:

    They wanted to develop varieties of corn which could be bred :cross: in many different parts of our country.
    I would go with something like "grown" or "cultivated" here, since it refers to growing a variety of corn after it's already been developed, that is, after the genetic work of breeding it has been done.
     
    Thank Kevman.
    I agree with you about the change of "bred" with "grown" or "cultivated".
    What about " They raised types of corn that ripened quickly with those that ripened more slowly."
    Is "raised' here OK?
    Thanks a lot.
     
    "raised" is OK, isn't it?
    But some people agreed with me that "bred" is OK.
    What's your opinion?
    Thanks
     
    I see. Looking at it more closely I think it has a different meaning with raised than it does with bred.

    Since bred refers to the genetic process "They bred types of corn that ripened quickly with those that ripened more slowly" means that the two varieties were cross pollinated to produce a hybrid variety. (This is what maxiogee is talking about in post #2.)

    On the other hand, "They raised types of corn that ripened quickly with those that ripened more slowly" means that they simply grew the types that ripened quickly as well as those that ripened slowly. (This is bibliolept's point in post #3.)
     
    Thank Kevman.
    It means that "raised" is the most suitable in this context.
    It's a satisfactory explanation.Thanks.
     
    In that case, bred probably isn't the word you want for the next sentence either: "They bred varieties which gave large fields with those with gave smaller yields but could grow in various climates." Exchanging bred for raised causes the same change in meaning here.

    But... it does seem to me from the context that we actually are talking about cross-breeding and hybridization here, so I'm afraid I may be doing a rotten job of making the distinction clear. :confused: If they are starting with two varieties and creating a new, third type they are breeding them. If they simply have two different varieties growing next to each other they are raising them.
     
    It sounds as if what they are doing in your paragraphs is cross-pollinating types which ripen quickly with types which ripen slowly in order to produce a new type which combines features of the original two. This is breeding.

    Likewise, I think they are hybridizing large-field varieties with multi-climate varieties to create a new variety.

    To say that they raised one variety with another merely implies that they were growing one variety and at the same time were also growing the other variety, but not that they were genetically combining them.

    I apologize if I am not making this very clear. We may need to wait for someone else with a fresh approach.:(
     
    Bred is often used with born.
    Pancho Villa was born and bred in Mexico. (Bred means raised).
    The rancher raised healthy cattled. (Here, I wouldn't use bred for raised)
     
    I raised goats for many years. Most people who do that are interested primarily in production of milk.

    They need to bear young every year in order to lactate, so you have to get your does bred. You either take them to someone with a buck, or borrow a buck (usually for a fee, or a couple sacks of feed) for the purpose.

    This is a down-to-earth and not very scientific meaning of the word breed. As husbandry becomes more complex, breeding involves detailed records of breeding lines, and choosing a buck on the basis of his particular breed and whether it is strong in the characteristics you're after-- Saanens for example are known to be heavy milk producers, but don't do as well in hot dry climates as Nubians.

    Breeding entails a certain amount of laboratory work nowadays, and is done largely, in many cases (prime cattle, racehorses) by purchase of frozen sperm and artificial insemination.

    Raising is still the general all-encompassing term, but just as raising livestock requires complex dietary strategies, including supplements and inoculation-- decisions about breeding are made with each new generation, for the purpose of enhancing certain traits.

    I still raise chickens with the strategy of cross-breeding certain roosters with certain hens, my goal being to create a new breed whose hackles (neck feathers) are barred (striped like a Plymouth Rock's) but colored in yellow and black instead of white and black.

    The idea is to produce a feather that fly-tiers can wind around a hook to produce a pattern that looks like the segmented yellow abdomen of a bee or hornet.

    Breeding entails manipulation, and much of it occurs in the research lab or benefits from discoveries made there. Raising animals is all about their care and cultivation, the production of bigger populations, and the chores involved-- pulling lambs (aiding in their birth), feeding and sheltering, docking tails and horns, shearing them and butchering them for market.

    Breeding is a part of raising animals, just as feeding them is.
    .
     
    The idea is to produce a feather that fly-tiers can wind around a hook to produce a pattern that looks like the segmented yellow abdomen of a bee or hornet.

    Wouldn't it be easier to breed bees & hornets? That way you'd get honey, and you could cull your herds and sell the carcasses. :D
     
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