The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-03
PEDIGREE IS GUIDE
FOR WISE FANCIER
He Does Not Depend Upon It
Too Much. hut IL Helps
Him in Many Ways.
SHOWS FAMILY LINES

The meaning Of the word pedigree
as given in the dictionary is lineage
80 that any dog, no matter whether
II be good, bad or Indifferent, must
have n pedigree. To the practical dog
breeder, however. the word means
something more than a mere string Cf
names written on paper, as TO him it IS
associated with the fixation Of certain
characters in n family and represents
a powerful hereditary force. The prac-
teal dog breeder values a pedigree. as
1t shows that the majority OF the AMI
mails mentioned in 1t possessed the
qualities which are sought In that
breed.
Tn breeder knows tina pedigrees
are open to abuse and hat the best pedi-
grees are worth nothing unless there
Is a reasonable degree OF merit In II.
pedigreed animal. A long recorded pedi-
gree Ii no guarantee as to purity OF
breeding, as the vcriest mongrel may
number In his lineage the names "
many prize winners or champions. The
practical breeder studies pedigrees care
fully. as II represents to him the only
means OF ascertaining whether the
family OF the pedigreed dog has been
Systematically bred from one specific
type. II II has. then the longer the
pedigree the better. for the longer "A
a''fshfy s''' ''hN Ja's' h'tsh 't'' ~ 'if
standard or ideal the nearer It will
have approached this ideal and the
closer will the resemblance between in
diyidual members of the family have
become. for 1t is a known fact that
the greater the number Of like ancce-
tors the greater Is the probability az
any membe of that family impresSing
the family characteristics on its Off
spring.
Qualities long and constantly present
In n strain or race are much more
potent and likely to he reproduced In the
progeny than are those more recently
acquired and less constantly present.
TIL" value Of n prdigreed animal lies in
It's probable possession Of the power Of
impressing its family character on its
offspring. and the worth Of a pedigree
varies "a 1t shows this power to have
been moro or less fixed in the family by
continuous selection and possibly by in
breeding. l. is important that the near
forefathers should he excellent rather
than the more remote. for the blood OF
IT. immediate ancestors pr~edoininateS in
every animal, - that the .ci oral uni
F, tprurity OF type and individual excellence
IN the near p~rogcnitors are Of vastly
greater Importance than mere length OF
J pedigree.
Pedigree is valuable only to the cx-
tent that il guarantees what the pcdi-
greed animal can 10. II is the breeders
guide to seletion. From u n" gauges
the reasonable likelihood Of the chosen
individual transmitting TO it, progeny
the qualities for the perpetuatiou o.
which he selects II. II he trusted to his
eve alone he might choose an animal
owing its individual excellence to only
one good descent and therefore likely
to hetray IN it's progeny the iu~fcrioritN
OF It's remoter ancestors. Without pedi-
gree the best dogs cannot he d.ucpd.d
upou To- reproduce themselves eNr-ui IN
rare Instances. \ dog ~ course docs MOI
have TO h. highly bred to WIN prizes
but II Is more lkelv 20 do 80 y il comes
from a family that Is bred from prize
winning stock.
In order to FULLY estimate a pedigree
IN" breeder has L. Familiarity n,'i>eI'
with the records Of the diff. OF fam
lilies II his breed OF dog, AZ far back .s
possible. and should learn and thor
oughly know the type ar distinct family
form Of each family. for tho valued re-
suits Of years OF breeding have some
times been lost through the use ~ an
animal apparently desirable ~ regards
itself and It's immediate parents. hut
having a serious defect in is auc strv.
II Is the weakest link that determines
the strength ~ a chain. The novice
lacking the practical experience and
hNpNleiSr necessary 10 estimate Justly
the value of a given lineage will do we'll
to remember that the safest and best
pedigree for him is sometimes the name
~ the breeder.
There L. 50 much variability 20 he
found within the limits OF any popular
modern breed that the mcr" ASSURANCE
that a dog comes from pure bred AL
c"stry, without admiNturc of any foreign
blood, conveys little and H. o. relatively
no use as a guide 10 TN" selection 81
hrecdipg stock. More definite irfnrmt-
tInu as to ;he degree ira winch each an
ccstor possessed the prominent or rally
essential breed characters Is tcuuIrcd.
and the IDEAL pedigree should contain
such data for the future guidauc ~
breeders.
This 'u'oymttio' is hest recorded 900
a breeding performance rcgisie-. con-
tanning = detailed and a",urat" por~outl
description Of Zach breeding dulntl.
preferably accompanied 10y 0 ulotu-
graph. together with fun particulars of
the number and quality cf The offspring
All OF these records should be entered
up on the spot and should not h" LOFT
TO memory II = computed that SlN
generations Of the saue type ~ am
rrstors are necessary 10 iuSur reason
bile uniformity Of type IN the offspring.
and this fact emphasizes the need ~
fuller records. II is just as important
To trace ueuulitriti"s Of conformation
and other characters In the lives of an
cestry as II is to trace pedigree.