FECUNDITY. 319 



male and the female, its influence is usually most manifest in 

 the case of males. This is due to the fact that they are much 

 more likely to be confined than females. Still in some in- 

 stances females which are being prepared for exhibition pur- 

 poses may be thus affected. It is highly important that all 

 animals be given an abundance of exercise. In the case of 

 male animals which cannot be allowed the freedom of the 

 herd, a paddock of some kind should always be supplied so 

 that exercise may be had at the will of the animal. Food may 

 also exert an undesirable influence on fecundity. This is es- 

 pecially true when supplied in an irregular manner and with 

 uniform conditions. By uniform conditions we have refer- 

 ence to scanty supplies in times of exposure to storms. A 

 scanty supply of food is nearly always associated with de- 

 creased fecundity in the herd, stud or flock. This is noticeable 

 in those animals which are bred in countries of sparse pas- 

 tures. These animals are always shy breeders in their native 

 land, but when introduced into other countries having a more 

 liberal supply of feed their fecundity improves. This is well 

 illustrated in the Spanish Merino sheep which were for many 

 years maintained in large flocks and generally on scant ra- 

 tions. These sheep were decidedly lacking in their breeding 

 qualities when first introduced into this country. Since then 

 they have made marked improvements in this respect. The 

 same thing is true of the range sheep bred in this country. 

 Their productive capacity is always much improved when 

 they are placed on arable land and given liberal rations. 



The nature of the food also has an important function in 

 this connection. Food which is rich in sugar is undesirable 

 and has a bad influence on fecundity. Food lacking in suc- 

 culence also is undesirable. The breeding animal does best 

 and is most fecundant when on grass, thus the necessity of 

 supplying succulent feed during the winter season. It keeps 

 the animal in a healthy, sappy condition. Liberal rations of 

 the most nutritious foodstuffs always have a favorable influ- 

 ence on fecundity. In fact it is out of the question to expect 

 good results without liberal feeding. In the case of sheep 

 it is always advisable to feed them very liberally at mating 

 time. By so doing the yield of lambs may be materially in- 

 creased. The same principle applies to other animals. 



Animals in very high condition, especially where such is 

 the result of corn feeding or some other highly carbonaceous 

 feed which causes a plethoric condition of the system, are 



