42S ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



sire. The importance, therefore, of possessing good and prepotent 

 sires, cannot easily be over-estimated. The (ruth that the sire is half 

 the herd is only a half truth. He is as much more than half the herd 

 as his prepotency exceeds that of each female parent in the same. 



But how may it be known that a sire is prepotent before his pre- 

 potency has been actually proved, as evidenced in the offspring. The 

 answer to this question is of all absorbing interest to the breeder, 

 for sires are usually chosen before they have begotten progeny. This 

 raises the question as to the probable guarantee of prepotency. 

 These include purity of breeding, line breeding in degree and in- 

 dividual vigor. 



Other things being equal, a sire is prepotent in proportion to the 

 duration of the time that he has been bred pure. This result follows 

 from the continuous increase in the dominant blood — elements with 

 increase in duration in breeding without the introduction of alien 

 blood. Whether there is a time limit to this increase is as yet an 

 unsettled question. In other words, it is not yet certain that an 

 animal from an ancestry bred pure for a thousand years will be 

 appreciably more prepotent than an animal bred from an ancestry 

 kept equally pure for five hundred years. These dominant blood 

 elements having become thus fixed and stable, are transmitted with 

 at least reasonable certainty to the progeny. 



Other things being equal, a sire is usually prepotent in preportion 

 as he is line bred or otherwise. Line bred means bred within the 

 limits of one family for at least several generations. The closer the 

 relationship at the outset of the line breeding and the longer the 

 duration of such breeding the more prepotent the sire is likely to be. 

 For instance, suppose a Shorthorn sire is chosen from the Missie 

 family of Cruikshank Shorthorns. If the said sire is chosen amid 

 progeny bred for generations from Missie sires and dams, no other 

 Shorthorn blood meanwhile having been introduced, the line is likely 

 to be more prepotent than if drawn from progeny whose ancestry 

 included members of various families of Cruikshank Shorthorns. 



Other things being equal, prepotency is strong in proportion as the 

 sire is possessed of inherent vigor. This is in keeping with that other 

 observed fact, that usually prepotency is stronger in an animal when 

 at that age in which bodily vigor is greatest, rather than at an earlier 

 or a later period in its life. The evidences of bodily vigor are form 

 and action. The latter is usually spoken of as carriage, and as an 

 evidence of prepotency, it is probably some more important than 

 bodily form. The evidences of bodily vigor are such as relate to 

 strength and vigor for the breed. The most prominent of these, 

 probably, is not chest size so much as chest capacity. Vigor in action 

 may be nicely illustrated by observing the carriage of q Southdown 

 male. The vigorous male steps quickly. He carries bis head proudly. 

 His full eye observes everything. The slightest sound causes him to 

 prick up his ears. Such a male purely bred is almost certain to be 

 prepotent. 



But what is meant by other things being equal? Simply this, that 

 with each of the indications mentioned, the other indications shall be 

 present in at least fair degree, and that the parents and progeny 

 shall both be sustained with suitable food, fed in liberal, but not in 

 excessive supply. For instance, long purity of breeding will count 

 far more if linked with line breeding and bodily vigor, and so of each 



