IN-BREEDING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 496, 27 October 1928, Page 29

IN-BREEDING

AN EFFECTIVE PRACTICE Inbreeding of animals, in the opinion of experts in the United States Department of Agriculture, is one of the most effective practices in the improvement of live stock. However, unless directed with skill and understanding, and followed by intelligent selection of the progeny, inbreeding may have undesirable consequences. Inbreeding should be practiced only by the most skilful breeders, and by them only when they have definite knowledge of the ancestry of the animals involved. The purchaser of inbred males, however, need have no fear of using them if they are superior representatives of the breed. As a matter of fact, he should prefer inbred males to others, especially if they are not related to his females, because they are more nearly pure in their hereditary make-up, and for that reason are most likely to reproduce themselves with uniformity. They should be sold under a guarantee of replacement if they do not breed. It is a general rule that inbred animals when bred to unrelated ones, even though the latter are themselves inbred, produce offspring larger and more vigorous than either parent.

Dr. McCandlish, of the West of Scotland Agricultural College, says that in milk production 60 per cent, of the total cost is for feeding. The principal points in the feeding of dairy cows are palatability. variety, hulk, succulence and economy. He thinks that roots should be fed to a cow. The cost per gallon of milk in an experiment with turnips was 5.2 d, and without turnips 5.7 d. The feeding cost a day was higher without turnips owing to the greater amount of hay and grain consumed. When they worked out the saving in feeding costs a cow a day they found that it amounted to 2d when feeding turnips. Twopence a day for a month was ss.