Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-03-03
In and In Breeding

"What is your opinion of in and in
breeding?" :" Is it good practice to
breed to close of kin, or is it bad? "
III. L.
We answer, that there are great
many qualifications that interpose
here, and the fact of the practice be-
ing good or bad, hinges upon these.
TO wit: Are You thoroughly verscd
IN the peculiarlties Of the different
families. Do you know the indica-
tons of constitutional vigor, of sym
metry, and a disposition to fatten
promptly, when you see them. To
have the knowledge of a novice on
these points, is not to have it at all,
in so far as qualifying you for coup
ling two animals together that are
akin in blood, that is, close enough
to warrant the term in and IN breed
ing being applied to this coupling.
In and in breeding should only be
practiced when you seek, through
two nearly perfect animals, to perpet-
uate or even to improve upon their
good qualities. To breed in and in
from inferior specimens, or even from
those fairly good, is not excusable.-
This is never done from the higher
NOTES, viz: to improve upon and
perpetuate the higher excellenclcs.-
These ends can only be reached by
coupling the best, and the coupling
of ordinary animals that are close Of
kin, comes OF habits of carelessness
and unthritt.
In and in breeding will perpetuate
good qualities if they exist very
strongly in both parents, but the pres
ence of undoubted constitutional Wig
or should he present on both sides, to
warrant Che practice. If by such
coupling you obtain offspring of
high merit, it will more uniformly
duplicate itself, than will an animal
miscellaneously bred, no matter what
form, or strain of blood be coupled
with it. Herein lies the main adyan-
tage of close breeding, to secure AMI
mails to propagate from, and it should
never be undertaken except with this
object in view, and only by experts,
breeders of mature judgment, based
upon correct knowledge and ample
experience. If two animals, each
possessing high order Of merit rs
representatives of a given breed, and
are Of kin, both belong to Il long line
of rich breeding, of strain of strains
that stand high before the public, are
coupled together for a series of years,
and one-haIf of the product OF this
union proves to possess the merits of
the parents, portion, perhaps, excel
ling their excellence, the owners can
afford to consign the other half to
the shamblcs. Yet our answer, to all
others than professional breeders, OF
long time experience and known
skill, avoid this in and in breeding.
Practiced in the ordinary manner
known among men, it is a sure means
of propagating defects, and of de-
priving ordinary animals of what Of
constitution they may have possessed.
A bull Of great individual merit,
deeply inbred, may prove of inestlm-
able value, If he belongs to highly
priced strain, because this concentra-
ton of rich blood will ensure his be
ing able, all the time, upon every
style of female, to duplicate himself.
Yet, as before stated, this is not an
undertaking to be entered into by
novice, nor is in and in breeding ad
missable generally in q herd, nor
among any kind Of farm stock. We
have had swine diminish one-tourth
in size, and greatly in constitution,
by one inbred cross. Yet, if the
boar is of great merit, he will, from
the best sows, produce some pigs of
high merit, fully maintaining the size
of the parents and being equal to
them, or better. These specimens
are valuable to propagate from, yet
the general application OF the plan
has worked damage to the herd as a
whole.
Sometimes slight in and in breed
ing will result in material lessenlng
of the bone. The tail will be short
ened, the ears lessened in size The
head of bull calves rendered temin-
inc. The color will be taken from,
the calf being pale red, though the
parents were deep in color. The
ribs will be hattcned, and shorter
than in the parent, and the neck, hips
and rump contract. Such are the
fruits Of in and in breeding, rs seen
upon many farm.
To the evidence cited above, we
will mention the want of alertness.
The inbred animal often lacks spright-
lessness, is poor feeder, dainty
about its diet. and needs good shelter
in rough weather. We do not doubt
that close breeding, when permitted
upon farms, has leSsened the value of
stock involved in it, in forty-nine
cases out of fifty, and we doubt if
the fiitieth has always been an i'm
provement upon the parents Vest
erH Eu1na JOu"nuL.