116 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



often discussed and is now under experimentation in Europe, 

 and with reference to which I do not know exactly how the facts 

 stand. But it seems to me, from some experiments made at 

 Geneva and at Neufchatel, on several farms, that the condition 

 of the female while in heat, and the time when the male is 

 brought to her while under that influence, has an effect upon 

 the progeny ; that is, that the female receiving the male in the 

 first of the heat will bring a male rather than a female ; and in 

 the latter part, a female rather than a male. Whether that will 

 stand as the fact or not, I do not know ; I only know that 

 experiments are now making upon that point on several farms 

 in Europe. But what is unquestionable is, that the age of the 

 parents, the relative age of the one to the other, has an influ- 

 ence upon that, and upon the fertility of the female, and the age 

 of the males at the time they are first allowed to serve, has an 

 influence also. The practice in some parts is to use the males 

 very early. That will not help multiply the proofs, because we 

 do not know what are the limitations in those cases, and cannot 

 combine our proofs in such a manner as to derive decided and 

 definite conclusions from them. But the whole question of age, 

 I would now suggest, is one for discussion, and one of consid- 

 erable importance. 



Mr. Thompson. There is one point that I have found from 

 experience to be of some importance in the breeding of cattle 

 which 1 have not heard touched upon to-day, and I would like 

 to have some gentleman give his experience upon that point. It 

 is this : the period of heat at which the female will most surely 

 conceive. Whether or not it is best to wait until the period of 

 heat is nearly over in the female before copulation in order to 

 insure conception. As long ago as when I was a boy, we were 

 always ordered to drive the cows off the moment there was any 

 indication of their being warm. If it was at night, at milking 

 time, we must drive the cow off then — not wait until morning ; it 

 would be too late. Since I have been an owner of stock, — which 

 has not been more than half a dozen years, my experience has 

 changed my opinion on that point. In some cases I have waited 

 eight and forty hours before I drove a cow to the male, or else 

 the copulation would not result in conception. It is so with 

 swine and with the bovine and equine races, so far as my expe- 

 rience has gone, within the last few years in particular. I 



