154 THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF 



for sixty-five years, without the aid of any other sort or kind, 

 and bred from his own flock for upwards of fifty years, main- 

 taining size, weight, and constitution." 



" I have known [continues the writer] Mr. Barford's flock 

 for upwards of half a century, and they appear as strong in 

 their stamina as when I first saw them. 



" Mr. B. does not use a ram unless he has a wide loin, a 

 large breast and collar, and very wide between the fore legs : 

 all of which points denote s^hale constitution. Although in- 

 and-in breeding has beat thousands to a stand, Mr. Barford 

 still shines in it." 



Therefore I contend that great advantages are derived from 

 preserving the breed pure and in making proper selections. I 

 have been very much pleased in perusing some remarks made 

 by Sanford Howard, at the State House last winter, and pub- 

 lished in the New England Farmer^ and as they happen to 

 have a direct bearing on our subject, I shall re-present them to 

 the reader. " What is breeding in-and-in ? While some apply 

 the term only to animals distantly related, he conceived the 

 only true idea of the matter to be, that it applied to creatures 

 of the same blood. The consequences of breeding in-and-in, 

 he believed might be either good or bad, and depended wholly 

 on the skill of the breeder. As proof that breeding in-and-in 

 was not contrary to nature, he referred to birds, the buffalo, 

 etc., in a wild state. It is known that they breed in-and-in 

 constantly, and yet no deterioration takes place. He had known 

 geese to be propagated in this way for forty years, and not 

 the slightest depreciation in size, quality or feather was visible 

 in them. Still cases could be cited where breeding in-and-in 

 had produced bad results ; yet these might be attributed to 

 imperfections in the parent stock. It is only necessary to 

 select perfect specimens." 



Having now attempted to show that in-and-in breeding is in 

 accordance with the law of nature, and that the birth of infe- 

 rior and defective animals, under this rule, resulted from the 

 breeder's ignorance or neglect, in making proper selections. 

 I shall next introduce some remarks of a general character. 



