84 PROFITABLE PIGEON BREEDING 



from one generation to another and practically weed out those 

 features not desired. Inlirecding i-esults in disastei and breaks 

 down stamina when the breeder grows careless and does not 

 keep up the highest degree of \igor in his birds and when he 

 uses birds which show non-desired or bad characteristics. This 

 high degree of vigor must be kept up by carefully selecting the 

 most vigorous specimens jjefore mating them. Inbreeding does 

 not necessarily mean that while it is the surest way of main- 

 taining and irapj'oving certain desired characteristics that each 

 and evei'v youngster -will inhei-it these good points because 

 th(M' all do not and it is therefore imi)erative to select only th"? 

 very liest in every wa\'. Therefore we see that the most careful 

 selection is necessary and must go hand in liand w ith_ inbreeding. 

 LINK BREEDINC; 



Line liici'ding, as it is giMieialh' undei'stood, is tiie mating 

 together of a pair of birds (closely or distanth- related) and then 

 breeding l)ack on them their progen\' oi' offspring. We 

 see, therefore, that lini' breeding is inbreeding and by so in- 

 Iireeding the jn-ogeny from the above pair we have a certain 

 portion of the blood of the original liirds flowing in the veins of 

 the progeny. To line breed ^\ e must go about it systematically 

 and follow some definite plan of l)rceding. 



Lino breeding should be used by all breeders if they ever 

 hope to accomplish very much for themselves with their birds. 

 In order to assist the readers of this book and give them :i 

 more definite idea of Hue lireeding a line breeding chart, drawn 

 up by the author, is pidilished herewith. 



ANALYSIS OF LINE BREEDING CHAHT: In line breeding 

 wi> start with one pair of liirds, lioth of which have valuafile 

 characteristics and are prepotent. Let us suppose we have 

 such a pair of birds in 1 and 5. The youngsters from this pair 

 ai-(' represented in block :i and the arrows show blood from 1 

 and 2 merged and flowing into ;!. This constitutes th(> second 

 generalion and gives ns yonng liirds having i/; blood of the 

 original male and female. AVlien (liese >'oungsters arc old 

 enough to mate we select the best female and male her to the 



