ESTABLISHING A STRAIN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 777, 29 March 1910, Page 10

ESTABLISHING A STRAIN.

SELECTION"AND'' IN t BREEDING,

. ;",lu' coricludirigv.a. series "of interesting articles, iri'-'th'e; .''Life Stock Joiirnal" on the best.inethddsOT.establishing a strain of show stpck,-. ; Mr. C. J. .Davies .says" that.-.from 'the-purely economic point of. 'view/it; is^ ! bestundoubtedly in establishing' 'a'- straiii/to' start■ with pedigree st^k;/however'-poor, its quality, and to: work'_ up-by/careful:mating .and rigid selection' to ' an/Improvement in the quality. The-old saying, that it takes three generations: to make a gentleman, may. be aptly 'applied; to the,-breeding, •of improved stock, and, broadly speaking, it is not really necessary to look much further,-back than this,, in "tho study of/aipedigree. '.P-urcliasers; hpweyer. may, not always /conform to this view; ; : '~'?■■'■'■■■..z.{~.':'. -.:;:' ■

-' ■ Summing/his fiews,"Mr. Davies sajps: The first essential'is'.judicious'selection. The next, judicious in-breeding.■'• It is, perhaps, not going .too far to assert that,' provided health and stamina are preserved, the: inbreeding of the right class' of stock -canriot .be too rigidly '.adhered- to.. Without, selection, /however, inbreeding is'pf'limited value. 'One may. be able/' by the closest forms of mating, to bring back : some of the desirable qualities: of i grandparent, even If. they be tet'ally'iackin'g'"in the "actual parents. -; Tlierefore, in certain cases .'it may be advisable to shut one's eyes and mate "two very'nearly related individuals^together; 1 -.with:the sole object of recreating:' soine' quality possessed by their.parents..: /-As- a'Vrule, however, selection and in-breeding must go hand in.hand. ,Only .thus can tho ; highest results'.'be/attained'. stock is built', up-step by step'by v the mating of like to like. Analysed in the light of modern 'investigation, this means .that individuals which resemble one another in.points must'be mated together to ensure 'the,,rcprpduct,ion...pf. thoso points. Tho fact" must' not-be ■overlooked that two quite' unrelated animals' may possess'more remarkh'b'le"s'imila'r''characteristi6s than two near, relations, ;and that probably better permanent results will r accrue from the'■ mating of the' former than from the union of -the latter. Family likeness, then, is.,.only secured by judicious selectiou combined with iribre'edirig, and, broadly spealdng, with the-'one exception-; iri'-breedirig"with"but' selection is perfectly useless. .: '

'Finally, in establishing a strain a lavish: production.of stock and a ruth-, less weeding out are important factors to rapid success., .It-'comesVwithiii the very'few"to get a winner at'" every, birth,,..,however great the owner's knowledge of his'stock and his cleverness in .mating. Do,not, therefore,' change 'a carcfuily-thought-out mating ill -disgust If-it results once, or twice in disappointment. In animals which ; litter an average of three at a birth one. can ...seldom,.,ev.en with the' choicest specimens and the closest inbreeding for genei-atioris', ; depend upon an average' of ■•"morb" than' one prize specimen .por , litter....., Apply, this to stock which produces:,-only one young one'at: a birth, and one good specimen in threo is the best' Which can bo hoped i for Good quality, in 'the parents,- and a quantity of. offspring, from them,- so that there may be a wide field for selection, must he among the chief objects of the'breeder who''is; establishing-'a-strain; 'these combined with judicious selection are ,amoug; the -.chief factors necessary to raise up a stud, herd, or flock of greater value and superiority to those usually kept-by farmers.

At tho recent International Stock Show at Chicago, Messrs. "Wm. Cooper and Nephews sold a consignment of 270 pure Hampshire," Oxford, and Cotswold sheep for a total" considerably over £3000.. ''• '-■•".'■■■'"■-.