126 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Animals are also occasionally born with the most extraordinary marks upon 

 them, through perhaps peculiar nervous inllueuce transmitted from the 

 mother to the foetus. The most remarkable case that I have heard of of this 

 kind is described in Prof. Miles's very interestinoj work on stock breeding, 

 the substance of which is that a number of Alderney cattle were pastured 

 with some United States cavalry horses with the letters U. S. branded upon 

 them. The heifers eventually had calves, and singularly enough, one of them 

 produced a fawn-colored calf with the letters U. S. plainly marked in white 

 letters upon its shoulder. There are many just as remarkable cases as this 

 reported, which would lead one to think that surrounding objects sometimes 

 have an effect upon the progeny. 



BREEDING SEX AT WILL. 



This subject has caused considerable speculation for many years, and various 

 theories have from time to time cropped up, gaining favor for a time, or until 

 they were practically proved to be wrong, but as they present a certain amount 

 of interest I shall mention some of those which were most popular. At one 

 time it was thought that the right testicle and the right ovary were instru- 

 mental in producing males, while the left produced the females, but this was 

 found not to be the case, as it was shown that animals with only one testicle 

 produced both sexes, and that females with only one ovary brought forth 

 young of the same nature. Another theory which was popular at one time, 

 and is now in some places, was that the sex depended upon the maturity of 

 ■the ovum at the time of fecundation, and that in the early stage of the heat a 

 female would be produced, but if the act was not performed till the heat was 

 subsiding, a male would be the result. Now, if this were the case would it 

 not happen that animals in a state of nature, who, being allowed to copulate 

 when they feel disposed, would produce a large percentage of females? This 

 does not appear to be the case with sheep. It has also been suggested that the 

 age and vigor of the animal has a good deal to do with the sex, and that if 

 an aged and vigorous male impregnate a young and less vigorous female the 

 result will be a male. It often happens so, but cannot be relied upon with 

 sufficient certainty to be of any practical importance. Some males appear 

 remarkable for getting more of one sex than the other, but the circumstance 

 which controls this remains yet to be discovered. 



Witli regard to the selection of parents I must be very brief, having already 

 occupied a good deal of time. In the selection of the sire I think the weak 

 points of the dam should be considered, and if possible the deficiency supplied 

 by him. I have a great aversion to breeding from unsound animals, whether 

 it be in wind or limb. I am also of the opinion tliat violent crosses are not 

 advisable. What I mean is that by putting an enormous stallion to a very 

 small, narrow mare you will not get a medium sized, well proportioned horse, 

 but rather a weedy, mongrel looking creature; but the motto which should 

 be adopted above all others is, "Breed from the best." 



At this point I illustrated the difficulties of parturition by means of large 

 sized diagrams, without which a written description would be so difficult to 

 -comprehend that I omit it. 



