POINTS IN BREEDING.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 600, 6 September 1913, Page 2

POINTS IN BREEDING.

Although no hard and fast rules can be laid down for the guidance of the breeder so that he can produce stock "to ord°r" of any particular type required, still there are certs in or principles applicable to all flosses of domesticated stock which may be relied on to a large extent, and whic.i are woUh discussing briefly.

The first of these principles may be stated in the phrase "like besets like." and this is accountable for what we know as • 'family likeness." That is to say, the offspring of two parents will probably show some of the characteristics of each of them; or, in other words, be of a intermediate or hybrid type, although this is not always the case. This is frequently seen in human beings. in the of animals, therefore, within certain

limits, whatever peculiarities the sire and dam posses-i may be looked for in the offspring;: slight variations, however, will always be noticeable.

In the case of domesticated animal? there is no struggle for existence and the "artificial selection" of the breeders takes the place of "natural selection." In the cireumtsnee the owner retains those animals for breeding which show desirable characteristics and conform to the type he wishes to establish. Such methods were followed in most of the improved breeds during the nineteenth century, and the coarser points and slow-growing habits were got rid of, while desirable qualities, such as milking, flesh producing, and wool-bearing powers, were developed, although in some eases at i the cost of the constitution of the animals.

One property which has been spscially developed is early maturity, which causes animals to ha ready for market at an earlier age than formerly. Thus bullocks are now fattened at | the age of from 20 to :16 months, instead of from four to seven years old, as formerly. Fat sheep are now ready for the butcher under a year old. and pigs are fattened at the age of eight to ten months, instead of running on to twice that age, a<> used to be the custom. It is possible to hasten the process of development by selection and breeding from closely-ralated animals, mis helps to fix a certain type, but when carried too far results in great Josa_ch constitutional vigour, comomed witn loss of size and sterility. In-breed-ing was made me of by the founders of the present breed* to fix a detinue type, but it must_ not be pressed bevond a certain point. _ *' When the sire and dam or two distinct breeds are crossed tne offspring generally shows _ the gooa points of both. Some or the bs=>t fattening stock is produced in r.is way Thus a white Shorthorn uul. crossed with a Galloway cow produces the blue-grey so much scugnt after for feeding purposes in the north of England. With pigs, across of the large white Yorkshire ana __tne Berkshire produces a pig easy to teed and greatly favoured by the baconcurers. . . For this purpose it is not wise to igo beyond a first cross, however, as ! undesirable characteristics then begin ! to make their appearance. I Crossing has occasionally been made | use of in the past in the formation of new breeds, as in the case of the ! Oxford Down sheep. I Animals that have been bred to a ! certain type for a number of generaI tions have a great power of stamping their qualities on stock that have not been so well bred. This power o, prepotencv as it is called, is otten made use of for improving a herd ot ordinary cows by using a pedigree bull, and much loss has occurred m cue past through dairyman begrudging a few extra pounds when purchasing a bull for the use of their herd. Prepotencv may also be made use oi in the 'breeding of beef animaU as when a Shorthorn bull is mated with cows of the slower maturing breeds, as Kerry, Ayrshire, or Galloway. In improved breeds that have been bred on definite lines for a number of years the points are fixed and they are capable of transmitting them. Occasionally, however, some characteristic not possessed by the imaieui-

ate parents appears in as the sudden appearance of horns in the calf of a polled breed, or hair and a dark colour in the fleece of a sheep of a good flock. This appearance of some point not possessed by the parents is called "reversion,'' "atavism," or "throwing io some characteristic of the original ancestors of the breed. Crossing always has a tendency to encourage i this.