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Breeding In Line

Categories: Live Stock and Dairy

Is it right and proper to breed a pedigreed registered bull to his

daughter, who is the offspring of a grade cow? If it is not right,

explain why. If it can be done, will the offspring be physically perfect

and an improvement, or will it have poorer qualities than its sire and

mother? If this inbreeding can be done successfully, how long can it be

carried on, or, in other words, how long could one bull be bred back

int
his own offspring? Can a herd be perfected in this way?



It is right and proper to breed a registered sire to his daughter, who

is the offspring of a grade cow. The first cross is all right and the

offspring ought to be physically perfect. This is a first step in what

we call line breeding, but in line breeding proper, both animals must be

pure bloods and registered, having ancestors on both sides which have a

long line of good individuals with strong constitutions and true to

type. To do this, one must have a perfect ideal in mind. This line

breeding is what has developed the breeds today up to the high standard

of perfection. Breeding sire to daughter, if followed along these lines,

will be all right; at least, it was so in the case of Amos Cruickshank,

the great shorthorn breeder. You cannot successfully breed back on the

daughter's offspring, but if you use a straight out-cross on the

daughter's offspring you can again use this sire on her produce with

marked success. In the case of a grade cow and registered sire, there

are two things which will make you either lose or win with one cross,

and that is regarding the breeding of your sire. If he is just an

ordinary-bred fellow it will be a hit-and-miss game, but if he is from a

long line of good ancestors on his dam's side, you can very materially

improve the, herd, because always keep in mind the female produce from

the sire's dam will grow with age toward the sire's dam. So if your

first cross from your first sire is all right, use a straight out-cross

bull, but be sure he is what he ought to be, and then you can use your

old bull back on his heifers. Of course, a man practicing this breeding

ought to be a thorough stockman and a first-class judge of live stock. -



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