240 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



analysis of existing records, and (b) breeding experiments 

 along Mendelian lines. 



(a) ANALYSIS OE MILK PRODUCTION RECORDS. 



In this direction the outstanding event of the year is the 

 transference and analysis of the production records of the Bilt- 

 more Farms herd, of Biltmore, N. C. Through the kindness of 

 the manager, Dr. A. S. Wheeler, we were given permission to 

 copy and make any use we wished of the records of production 

 of this remarkable herd of registered Jersey cattle. In January, 

 191 5, John W. Gowen, then a member of the staff of the De- 

 partment of Biology, went to Biltmore and transcribed the 

 records. In this work every facility was accorded him by Dr. 

 Wheeler, to whom we desire to extend our heartiest thanks for 

 this aid. After returning to the laboratory, Mr. Gowen spent 

 the remainder of the academic year in the reduction of these 

 records. As a result of his very efficient and painstaking labors 

 we have now in shape for study probably the most complete and 

 satisfactory set of records for the study of the inheritance of 

 milk production anywhere in existence. They are far superior 

 to advanced registry records because they include records not 

 alone of the good cows but of all cows, good, bad and in- 

 different. 



(b) MENDELIAN EXPERIMENTS WITH CATTLE. 



As has been pointed out in earlier reports, definite cross- 

 breeding experiments, carefully controlled, are absolutely essen- 

 tial to the study of the problem of the inheritance of milk pro- 

 duction. The experiments along this line with the herd of the 

 University of Maine are proceeding satisfactorily, if of neces- 

 sity somewhat slowly. In due time we hope to have a consider- 

 able number of animals in the cross-breeding experiments from 

 which may be tested by Mendelian methods, the way in which 

 milk and butter fat production are inherited when a high pro- 

 ducing and a low producing breed are crossed together. 



Table 11 gives a conspectus of the animals which have so far 

 been born in the Mendelian herd. 



