BREEDING, LINE AND IN-BREEDING 



51 



tains three-fourths of the blood of the original sire and one-fourth 

 of the blood of the original dam. In a like manner tjie best cock- 

 erel from 3 mated to his dam 2 produces group 5, which is made 

 up of three-fourths of the blood of the original dam and one-fourth 

 of the blood of the original sire. Proceeding in a similar manner 

 by mating the original parents to their offspring in the third gener- 

 ation, we obtain at groups 6 and 7 offspring which contain either 

 seven-eighths the blood of the original sire and one-eighth of the 

 blood of the original dam, or seven-eighths the blood of the original 

 dam and one-eighth the blood of the original sire, as the case may be. 

 Thus the blood of the original sire has been practically eliminated 



Rhode Island Red Cockerel 



from the female line, and the blood of the original dam from the 

 male line. If the original parents were. still in breeding condition, 

 the blood of each could be intensified to 15-16 in the fifth genera- 

 tion. To obtain the original cross, however, at any generation after 

 the second, it is only necessary to select parents from corresponding 

 groups on each side of the line, as for instance, a cockerel from 

 group 6 mated to pullets from group 7 will produce, in the fifth 

 generation group 9, which contains mathematically one-half the 

 blood of the original pair. Similar results can be obtained by se- 

 lecting parents from 4 and 5. 



The fifth and sixth generations, as shown in the chart, indicate 

 only a few of the possible groups that may be obtained from 

 various matings. 



The danger of using new stock not akin to one's own is far 

 greater than the danger of line-breeding vigorous birds of known 

 pedigree, as is proven by the following case in point : A breeder of 

 Reds who had sold a fine pen two years previously of such excel- 



