Wright: Bates' Duchess Cattle 



409 



Relationship of Sires and Dams 



The results are summed up in Table 

 III l)y generations and are presented 

 graphically in Figures 21, 24 and 25. 

 Duchess 59 and 62 were eight genera- 

 tions from Duchess I, and thirteen gen- 

 erations from the original Duchess 

 purchased by Charles Colling in 1784. 



The coefficients of relationship be- 

 tween sire and dam are given in Figure 

 21. For three generations there was lit- 

 tle or no relationship. For Duchess by 

 Daisy Bull in the next generation the 

 coefficient rises to 39 per cent, both sire 

 and dam having been progeny of Fav- 

 ourite. The parents of Duchess by 

 Favourite and Duchess I (by Comet) 

 in the next two generations show co- 

 efficients of 53 per cent and 59 per cent 

 respectively. These figures are to be 

 compared with coefficients of 50 per 

 cent between ordinary brothers and sis- 

 ters or between parent and offspring in 

 a random-bred stock. They measure 

 the actual correlation in appearance in 

 characters which are wholly determined 

 by nondominant genetic factors. They 

 are doubtless about what the reader 

 would expect from a cursory examina- 

 tion of the pedigrees. 



It is not so obvious, however, what 

 the correlations in later generations 

 should be. The general opinion has 

 l)een that Bates began his career with 

 very intensive inbreeding and on en- 

 countering deterioration was obliged, to 

 make outcrosses. Darwin^ states, "For 

 thirteen years he bred most closely in- 

 and-in ; but during the next seventeen 

 }-ears, although he had the most ex- 

 alted notion of his own stock, he thrice 

 infused fresh blood into his herd ; it 

 is said that he did this not to improve 

 the form of the animals, but on ac- 

 count of their lessened fertility." 



The calculation of the actual rela- 

 tionships of the sires and dams, how- 

 ever, shows no such history. The sire 

 and dam of Bates' purchase. Duchess 

 I, were correlated about 0.59 (R = 59 

 per cent) on account of relationship. 

 During the eight generations bred by 

 Bates, he practically maintained the 



same level of relationship, the coeffi- 

 cients fluctuating about 60 per cent. 

 The parents of the ten cows of the 

 second generation after Duchess 1 

 were correlated 0.G7, the high point, 

 while the parents of the nine cows of 

 the fifth generation were correlated 

 only 0.52 at the other extreme. The 

 average for the next generation, how- 

 ever, was 0.G4 and the eighth genera- 

 tion averaged 0.63. Turning to indi- 

 viduals, the high point was reached in 

 the mating which produced Duchess 

 21, where the coefficient is 87 per cent. 

 The low point was reached in Duchess 

 41, where it was 42 per cent. 



The purchase of the "Princess" bull 

 Belvidere is generally given as tiie 

 turning point in Bates' career, the 

 point at which he found it necessary 

 to introduce fresh blood and the point 

 with which his greatest success began. 

 It is true that Belvidere had no Duch- 

 ess blood. He was, however, rich in 

 the blood of Favourite as may be seen 

 from his pedigree (Figure 15). His 

 relationship with Favourite was about 

 (io per cent. In fact his relationship 

 with Duchess 19 and with Duchess 29. 

 the cows of the Duchess familv with 

 which he was first mated, were as 

 high as 45 per cent and 47 per cent re- 

 spectively. 



Previous to the use of Belvidere, 

 outside blood was introduced through 

 2nd Hubback. However, while Red 

 Rose I, his dam, had no Duchess blood, 

 she was closely related genetically (see 

 pedigree. Figure 16). Moreover the 

 sire of 2nd Hubback was the Duchess 

 bull. The Earl. Second Hubback 

 should have shown a correlation of 

 about .65 with Favourite as far as all 

 purely hereditary characters were con- 

 cerned and correlations .49 and .62' 

 with the first Duchesses with which 

 he was mated. 



Fresh blood was introduced later 

 through the bulls Gambier and Norfolk, 

 bred b}' Jonas Whitaker. which were 

 without Duchess blood on either side of 

 their pedigrees (Figures 17 and 18). 

 Nevertheless both of these bulls were 

 closely related to Favourite (65 per 



