CIIOSS-BEEEDING CONSIDEEED. 89 



alike, or badlj matched, with ccrtaiu defects, weaknesses, or 

 excesses, which are transmitted in an intensified form. And 

 as you depart from the parent stem, or fountain-head, you 

 find ah organization more perfectly and evenly balanced, better 

 matched or adapted, so that the stock, though kindred, is 

 improved in its transmitted qualities. Thus Bakewell and 

 some others in pursuing this practice of "breeding in and in," 

 by carefully selecting the best stock to breed from, and con- 

 tinuously avoiding the defective, made in the course of a few 

 generations great improvement. The trouble here is, that the 

 manager, after being very successful, becomes careless in his 

 selections, makes a slight mistake now and then ; or he is 

 deceived by some hidden defect or occult disease, which at 

 first could not well be discovered, but by increasing from 

 generation to generation becomes an evil of great magnitude. 

 In one case, the question has two sides, vi2:. ; the practice of 

 " breeding in and in " has Ijeen attended with great and Ions: 

 continued success ; but, on the other hand, it has proved a 

 failure both in a multitude of single instances, as well as on a 

 large scale. If the causes of failure in all single cases, or in' 

 each generation, could be discovered, we should in every 

 instance be able to account for them on the law of propaga- 

 tion. 



Mr. Goodale, a well-known writer upon breeding, after 

 carefully considering the subject, comes to this conclusion. 

 The continuance of health, strength and perfect physical 

 , development is believed to depend on the wisdom of the selec- 

 tion, upon the presence of the hereditary qualities, and the 

 absence of injurious ones, and not upon relationship, whether 

 near or remote. "But, then, inasmuch as these injurious 

 qualities are more liable to exist in close relationship, such 

 breeding should be avoided." Now, why this liability and 

 the necessity of departing from this line in breeding, if there 

 is not a great general law in nature to govern all these changes ? 



CROSS-BREEDING. 



Intimately connected with this part of the subject is another, 

 viz. : what is denominated " cross-breeclins:." At first this 

 might seem to be a practice or scheme directly opposed to the 

 one just considered, but it is not strictly so. The word 



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