E. I. IVANOFF 247 



self that this method will not create an attitude of mistrust in the peasant 

 population. 



Many years were devoted to these joroblems — beginning with my 

 first experiments on the Dubrovski stud-farm in 1899. The practical 

 work was carried on in the great majority of cases on horses. On cattle, 

 chiefly on sheep, artificial insemination was practised to a fairly large 

 extent, but usually with a scientific purpose. Experiments were also 

 conducted on dogs, foxes, rabbits, birds and other animals. In the 

 following, I shall submit data only from work on horses. 



In the history of the development of this work in Russia, two main 

 stages must be noted, the first being the period of experimental pre- 

 jmratory work on the problem under laboratory conditions (Institute 

 of Experimental Medicine, Zoological Laboratory of the Academy of 

 Science), and under conditions of practical life from 1899-1909 (on the 

 special exj^erimental station of the Department of State Stud-Farming, 

 in the Government of Orel, Livenski district, village of Mijnee-Dolgoe, 

 and on the estate of Askania-Nova, in the Government of Taurida, 

 formerly belonging to Faltzfein). Only after dealing with the fundamental 

 problems and printing the results of the experiments, had the task of 

 advocating this method for wide use been undertaken. The Government 

 opened a special laboratory with a physiological section and a zoo- 

 technical station, in Askania-Nova, attached to the Laboratory of the 

 Veterinary Department, where from 1909 special theoretical and practical 

 courses of study were pursued on the physiology and biology of insemina- 

 tion and a body of specialists, mainly veterinary surgeons, was being 

 trained for the practical a^jplication of this method on stud-farms and 

 pairing stations. 



PreiJaratory experimental work was carried out apart from other 

 animals on 579 horses, and during that period, together with problems 

 of direct, practical interest (percentage of conceptions from artificial 

 insemination, number of possible inseminations from one "leap," etc.) 

 problems were experimentally investigated which have a more remote 

 connection with stud-farm interests. As the manner of carrying out the 

 exjjeriments and their results were made clear in my book Artificial 

 Insemination of Domestic Animals, published also in German, I shall 

 confine myself here to a very bare outHne. 



The above work shows that artificial insemination enables the 

 number of mares inseminated by one stallion during the pairing season 

 to be increased on an average ten times, and the percentage of foaling, 

 if the work is done correctly and under conditions usual on pairing 



