PREPOTENCY. 309 



great advantage to the breeder. By securing a prepotent sire 

 he can oftentimes remedy a common defect in his whole fe- 

 male herd. 



Prepotency is supposed to be governed by the vigor of 

 the animal, the age of the animal, and the length of time 

 during which its ancestors have been bred along a special 

 and distinct line. Certain breeds of cattle like the Galloway 

 are supposed to be more prepotent than some of the newer 

 breeds, due to the fact that the Galloway is one of our very 

 oldest breeds. Certain families are more prepotent than 

 others, due to the fact that they have been bred along a 

 distinct line for many generations. 



Prepotency is usually treated as breed prepotency and as 

 individual prepotency. The former is general and the latter 

 special in its influence. The same law seems to act in the 

 same way in both cases. The division has a special and real 

 value to the stock breeder. Breed prepotency is seen when 

 animals of any of the old and well established breeds, such 

 as Shorthorns, Galloway, Jersey, Merino and many others, 

 are used on other breeds, or on the ordinary stock. The off- 

 spring will nearly always bear a very marked resemblance to 

 the one of the above mentioned breeds used. 



Individual prepotency is seen in many of the families of 

 the different breeds of stock. In the trotting horse we find 

 certain sires which sired more noted animals than others, 

 due to their superior prepotency. In Shorthorn cattle certain 

 bulls have sired large numbers of prize winners, and so on in 

 all the breeds. This peculiar power which one parent possesses 

 in a greater degree than the other in determining the shape, 

 color, temperament and so on of the offspring is known as 

 prepotency. A thorough knowledge of this law is very help- 

 ful to the breeder, as nothing but prepotent sires should be 

 used in the breeding herd. 



