ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EACH PLAN 167 



ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EACH 



PLAN 



Havixg thus explained the meaning of the two terms, and having, in 

 British Rural Sports, collected a series of examples of success in crossing 

 nearly equal in number to those adduced in which in-breeding had been 

 resorted to advantageously, I shall now proceed to say a few words upon 

 the probable advantages to be derived from each plan. In the first 

 place, it may be laid down that nearly an equal number of good horses 

 have lately been bred by adopting either mode of proceeding ; but no 

 first-rate horse has appeared whose parents were incestuously allied. In 

 the second place it may be gathered from experiments with horses and 

 other domestic animals, that very close in-breeding, continued for any 

 length of time, is apt to develop the weak points in the constitutions of 

 the breed in which it is adopted. The cautious breeder, therefore, will 

 do well to avoid running this risk, and will strive to obtain what he wants 

 without having recourse to the practice, though, at the same time, he will 

 make up his mind that it is unwise to sacrifice a single point with this 

 view. Experience tells us that it is useless to expect to develop a new 

 property or quality in the next generation, by putting a female entirely 

 deprived of it to a male which possesses it eyen in a marked degree. 

 Some instances of success will attend the adoption of this course, but as a 

 rule it cannot be relied on in the majority of instances. Thus, a slow, 

 stout mare, cojitaining no lines of fast blood in her pedigree, will not be 

 likely to bi'eed a fast colt, though put to a flying stallion, whose blood is 

 not stout in a considerable proportion of his ancestry. Two or three 

 consecutive crosses with the same or similar blood will almost of a surety 

 effect the object ; but the first will rarely do so. Again, we know, if we 

 put two animals together, equally in-bred or equally crossed, the produce 

 is, on the whole, as likely to resemble the one parent as the other, though 

 there may be a difference of opinion as to particular points. But, if not 

 thus equally composed of similar elements, the more in-bred parent will 

 be represented in a greater proportion than the crossed one ; and hence it 

 follows, that if it is desired to keep up the qualities of the horse or mare 

 in his or her descendant, the mate must be selected, if possible, less 

 in-bred than he or she is. West Australian himself and his stock are 

 excellent examples of this theory. His sire, Melbourne, was the result of 

 a series of crosses ; while his dam, Mowerina, was in-bred to Whalebone 

 and Whisker, own brothers ; and her sire and dam were second cousins. 

 The result has been, that both in "The West" and in his stock the Whale- 

 bone element has been universally manifested, and not the slightest trace 

 of Melbourne has ever appeared, as far as my knowledge of his stock allows 

 me to judge. This is in perfect accordance with the 13th axiom in the 

 epitome of the laws which govern the breeding of our domestic animal^. 

 (See page 1G3.) 



