

120 



GOOD FROM CROSSING. 



Chap. XVIJ. 



of experience has convinced him that when Wo nearly related animals 

 are quite sound in constitution, in-and-in breeding does not induce deo-e 

 neracy ; but he adds that he « does not pride himself on breeding from 

 the nearest affinities." In France the Naz flock has been bred fo? sixty 

 years without the introduction of a single strange ram. 10 Nevertheless 

 most great breeders of sheep have protested against close interbreeding 

 prolonged for too great a length of time. 11 The most celebrated of recent 

 breeders, Jonas Webb, kept five separate families to work on, thus « retain- 

 ing the requisite distance of relationship between the sexes." 12 



Although by the aid of careful selection the near interbreeding of sheep 

 may be long continued without any manifest evil, yet it has often been 

 the practice with farmers to cross distinct breeds to obtain animals for the 



butcher, which plainly shows that good is derived from this practice. 



Mr. Spooner sums up his excellent Essay on Crossing by asserting that 

 there is a direct pecuniary advantage in judicious cross-breeding especially 

 when the male is larger than the female. A former celebrated breeder 

 Lord Somerville, distinctly states that his half-breeds from Eyelands and 

 Spanish sheep were larger animals than either the pure Eyelands or pure 

 Spanish sheep. 13 



As some of our British parks are ancient, it occurred to me that there 

 must have been long-continued close interbreeding with the fallow deer 

 ( Cervus dama) kept in them ; but on inquiry I find that it is a common 



™ aCt ™ G , t0 J nfuse new blood h y Procuring bucks from other parks. 

 "" m "'" 1 ~ who has carefully studied the management of deer, admits 

 that in some parks there has been no admixture of foreign blood from a 

 time beyond the memory of man. But he concludes " that in the end 



Mr 



66 



" the constant breeding in-and-in is sure to tell to the disadvantage of 

 the whole herd, though it may take a very long time to prove it; 

 " moreover, when we find, as is very constantly the case, that the intro- 

 u duction of fresh blood has been of the very greatest use to deer, both 

 " by improving their size and appearance, and particularly by being of 

 " service in removing the taint of ' rickback/ if not of other diseases, to 

 which deer are sometimes subject when the blood has not been 

 changed, there can, I think, be no doubt but that a judicious cross 

 " with a good stock is of the greatest consequence, and is indeed essential, 

 " sooner or later, to the prosperity of every well-ordered park." 



Mr. Meynell's famous foxhounds have been adduced, as showing that no 

 ill effects follow from close interbreeding ; and Sir J. Sebright ascertained 

 from him that he frequently bred from father and daughter, mother and 



66 



66 



66 



10 J 01 "^, ° aSe °f ^? i^5 SSrS ' Br °w n > and Husbandry, ' p. 6. Mr. Spooner, in 



Journal of Royal Agricult. Soc. of 



see ' Gard. Chronicle,' 1855, p. 26. For 



the Foscote flock, ' Gard. Chron.,' 1860, England,' vol. xx. part ii. See also an 



p. 416. For the Naz flock, ' Bull, de la excellent paper on the same subject 



Soc. d'Acclimat.,' 1860, p. 477. . . - . . 



11 Nathusius, 'Rindvieh,' s. 65; 

 Youatt on Sheep, p. 495. 



12 'Gard. Chronicle,' 1861, p. 631. 



13 Lord Somerville, ' Facts on Sheep 



in ' Gard. Chronicle,' 1860, p. 321, by 

 Mr. Charles Howard. 



Some Account of English Deer 



14 * 



Parks,' by Evelyn P. Shirley, 1867. 





