454 



AMERICAN BEE ICURNAL 



July 18, 1901. 



consider that they can afford to do even this amount of 

 experimenting in view of the fact that outcrossing has 

 none of the objectional features in the public mind that 

 in-breeding possesses. 



One of the bottom facts of in-breeding is. that Nature 

 never does it unless compelled to. It is more than likely 

 that in-breeding as originally practiced by man, and in the 

 majority of subsequent cases, has been largely due to the 

 same cause — the absence of an unrelated individual at the 

 time. Also the fact that in distinct breeds, uniformity can 

 usually be accomplished quicker by in-breeding than by 

 outcrossing (where breeds are dependent upon one or a few 

 characteristics, of which vigor, fertility and size are among 

 the least essential) which is a very considerable incentive 

 where it takes several years for an animal to reach matur- 

 ity. But with bees these two propositions would seem 

 entirely inapplicable ; for we seem to be able to obtain an 

 ample number of unrelated individuals of equal value with 

 which to outcross. besides which, the vast number of gen- 

 erations that can be obtained in a short time renders the 

 second reason of little or no force. 



Writers in bee-journals have been so prone to allude 

 vaguely to in-breeding in Jersey cattle, and in trotting- 

 liorse pedigrees, that a few words on these subjects may 

 not be out of place here, although there being nearlj' as 

 much pro as con, we can expect little new truth from these 

 sources ; especially as in the one case there is almost no 

 parallel to bee-breeding, whereas, in the other, the breed 

 has not been established a sufficient time to secure any 

 amount of uniformity. 



The Jersey cow possesses a pleasing color and form — 

 with the frequent exception of her degenerated horns 

 which often require an expert to trim them to a regular 

 shape — and at her best gives a very large quantity of very 

 rich milk, of which a comparatively small amount is 

 required to make a pound of butter or cheese. These are 

 the principal qualities in which she diflfers from other 

 breeds, and to which she owes any peculiar merit she may 

 possess. To offset these she is very nervous, undersized, 

 very subject to disease and to great mortality in disease, 

 besides which she is extremely deficient in the regular 

 bringing forth of living offspring ; and so far as I am able 

 to ascertain, no outcross has yet been found equal to those 

 outcrosses of other breeds in which the Jersey is not a fac- 

 tor. Her good qualities have evidently been brought about 

 at the expense of vigor, fertility and size, for which it 

 seems evident that in-breeding is responsible. 



But is the Jersey a fair comparison ? Nature so situ- 

 ated her in the narrow confines of a small island where 

 eventual in-breeding was inevitable, and therefore is it not 

 possible that Nature endowed her with some inherent 

 power by which the evil effects of in-breeding would be 

 mitigated to a certain degree — sufficient with the aid of 

 skillful selection on the part of man, to preserve to us a 

 breed which if left entirely to Nature would have long ago 

 become extinct ? For on an island of such fertility that 

 animals are staked out instead of being turned loose for 

 pasturing, it would naturally follow that the greatest per- 

 sonal care and attention would be bestowed on such ani- 

 mals so continuously handled. 



Then, too, the pedigrees of renowned Jerseys abound 

 in renowned ancestors to so great an extent that it is prac- 

 tically impossible to find a line of demarkation between 

 what has been the result of in-breeding and that which is 

 due to skillful selection independent of in-breeding. And 

 if it had been possible to breed these animals with as much 

 care, to equally desirable unrelated animals, is it not rea- 

 sonable to suppose (see the quotation from Darwin) that 

 equally good results would have been obtained, not onlj- at 

 no expense of these qualities, but even with an increase in 

 vigor, fertility and size ? 



With regarci to trotting-horses, the general proposition 

 vyill be found to be true that where in-breeding exists in a 

 good individual that is able quite uniformly to transmit his 

 good qualities to his offspring, such in-breeding is merely 

 an incidoil of locality or opportunity, and is seldom close, 

 whereas the rea! cause of quality is skillful selcciion. 

 Then, too, the sources of trotting families are compara- 

 tively few, which renders the incident of in-breeding more 

 frequent than in many others. But this in-breeding, when 

 successful, is seldom close, and, therefore, has but little 

 effect. When trotting-horses were a " fad " they were largely 

 bred with no other quality than that of speed, so that, 

 although speed was often obtained, where we failed to 

 obtain it we had only a failure that did not possess enough 

 other good qualities to make it valuable. But as soon as 

 the " bottom dropped out," the lesson was learned, since | 



which time our greatest aim has been to produce such an 

 animal as will possess that balance of qualities which will 

 make him the highest typical representative of his species. 

 At any rate we quite uniformly get a high tj'pe of horse. 

 If his speed and racing quality are sufficient, we have that 

 which, from our standpoint, is the most valuable. If not 

 of this high grade there may be sufficient qualitj' for a 

 first-class roadster, or an excellent carriage-horse; lacking 

 this, the barbarously inclined can cut off his tail, blind- 

 fold him, and, by training on an inclined plane, behold the 

 highest type of English Hackney 1 And, finally, if some 

 physical injury should occur we will, often, still have a 

 good individual to breed from. 



From all the observations I have personally made 

 where we have done any close in-breeding, in trotting- 

 horses, I am led to believe it is a total failure ; except, per- 

 haps, in exceptional cases where two individuals somewhat 

 over-sized, with a tendency towards coarseness, possessing 

 exceptional fertilit)- and vigor, and having immediate 

 ancestors which have uniformly inherited these character- 

 istics for several generations ; these individuals, being 

 possessed of about an equal balance of other good quali- 

 ties, but the good qualities of the one being the comple- 

 ment of those of the other, and vice versa, which qualities 

 should be proved to be hereditary in each pedigree so far as 

 possible. Besides this, the common ancestor, or ancestors, 

 must have proved to be the most successful cross in each 

 case for that animal with which it was mated. Whenever 

 such a case presents itself we will try in-breeding, but in 

 no other. 



Here are some cases that have come under ray observa- 

 tion : A mare so mated that her offspring had but one 

 grandsire, has uniformly given undersized animals of too 

 fine bone and of no great merit in any respect, although 

 both parents were individually excellent. A stallion that 

 had but one grandsire and whose granddams were half sis- 

 ters, was quits a fair individual but not possessing any 

 great amount of speed or exceptionally good gait, although 

 apparently physically in perfect health. On examination 

 he was found to secrete not over ten percent of the number 

 of spermatozoa that an average horse did ; and it was found 

 that, compared with his chances, he produced not over five 

 percent as many offspring as the average horse. I have 

 not been able to get any information concerning his off- 

 spring, but would not be surprised if they proved absolutely 

 sterile. Of course, there is one chance in a million that 

 this was due to some unknown cause, but I gave the case 

 sufficient study so that I am satisfied that it was solely due 

 to in-breeding. 



Does it not seem reasonable to believe that, in general, 

 in-breeding can be successful only in cases where the 

 merits of the breed depend very largely on only one, or a 

 very few, qualities for which we can profitably sacrifice to 

 a considerable extent, vigor, fertility and size ? 



In the trotting-horse we can not afford to do this, for 

 we want the best type of horse which is not dependent 

 upon any one or a few qualities. Is not the bee somewhat 

 similar? Will not the best bee get the most honey? Is 

 not the best bee the one that possesses the best balance of 

 good and bad qualities without any necessarily prominent 

 showing of any one quality ? The qualifications of a good 

 bee are so complex and variable as to locality, and so inter- 

 dependent upon each other, that it is very difficult to differen- 

 tiate them : but, given a good "all round bee," and it is 

 very likely that she will prove herself better in any locality 

 than one that is bred for any one particular quality. 



I have written the foregoing on in-breeding, simply 

 because none of the regular contributors to bee-journals 

 have yet shown any desire to give us any specific aid on 

 this subject ; and some one should start the ball rolling no 

 matter how incomplete the start maj' be. Can not those 

 who have had extensive experience in breeding other ani- 

 mals, give us the benefit of their experience and opinions ? 



Other things being equal, I want long tongues, but if I 

 were rearing my ideal of a bee for sale, the " long-tongue " 

 part of my advertisement would be in smaller type, while 

 with great "scare heads" I would proclaim "Superior 

 Suckers." Above all, I want a bee that can suck and carry 

 as large a load as possible, or else make it up in increased 

 number of loads. To my mind, the long-tongue agitation 

 is too much like treating a syinptom, instead of the disease 

 itself. I believe that long tongues are of value only in so 

 far as they represent an increase in vigor ; or, in other 

 words, only when such increased length is the direct 

 result of increased use of the tongue, indicating greater 

 activity and vigor. Doubtless the direct issue of the origi- 

 nal (priced) queen possessed this increase, but is there not 



