METHODS OP BREEDING 113 



breeder. For a man who is in the business of swine 

 breeding would not like to admit that he did not know 

 enough about his animals to know whether or not they 

 were being inbred. Nevertheless, a man who practices 

 pure breeding or grading and does not make a thorough 

 study of the business may be deceived. He may buy 

 year after year pure bred sires from different sections of 

 the country and of course from different breeders. But 

 without making a close study of the pedigrees, it may 

 be possible for him to buy, unknowingly, sires during 

 successive years that are very closely related, which, of 

 course, would be likely to produce disastrous results in 

 his breeding herd. This could be avoided by cross breed- 

 ing, but also equally well by pure breeding and grad- 

 ing, if the breeder understands pedigrees, and by the 

 latter method he could improve his herd while by the 

 former he could not. 



