2o8 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



much attention should be given to pedigrees ; for even when individual 

 excellence is not apparent, it may be present in a recessive or else in a 

 latent state, which suitable matings will bring into full realization, 

 provided the ancestors were superior animals. 



At the same time the breeder should be on the lookout for individual 

 peculiarities of merit. And he should not be discouraged if these are 

 not transmitted to the immediate offspring. Ordinarily a desirable 

 character which disappears from the children, but reappears among the 

 grandchildren, can at once be made a racial character, for it is recessive 

 in heredity. 



Inbreeding is not invariably an evil. It is often necessary to cause 

 the reappearance of a vanished recessive character, and is indispensable 

 in the formation of races which will breed true. Two or three genera- 

 tions of close inbreeding usually suffice to realize the practical benefits 

 of the process, if intelligently carried on. The inbreeding should then 

 be discontinued as soon as the desired end has been attained. Other- 

 wise, loss of vigor or infertility may result. 



