170 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF RABBITS 
a haphazard sort of breeding system. It 
looks-merely to the present generation and it 
does not.even lay a good foundation for future 
generations. 
Line-breeding is not in-breeding, as so many 
people; seem to believe. It is true that in- 
breeding’ is practiced in the first cycle. of 
operation, but there is not enough in-breeding 
to cause any harm. Line-breeding is a syste- 
matic form of breeding which preserves the 
excellence and. characteristics of the parent 
stock. In other words,. it perpetuates the 
blood: of both sire and dam so that it is not 
eventually lost as is the case in cross-breeding. 
By this:system of breeding the excellence in 
modern animals has been accomplished. Line- 
breeding is practiced by every live stock 
breeder of repute, for the simple reason that 
it: enables him to make progress in his work: 
By starting out with two specimens as 
nearly perfect as possible according to their 
Standard, they are mated together and the 
offspring contains just one-half of the blood of 
