MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS 511 



owner to increase these. To do so, he becomes a student of 

 methods. It would be safe to say that no person who 

 weighs daily the milk of all his cows will long be content 

 with low average production in his herd. 



Weight of animals at birth. The following are chief 

 among the influences that affect the weight of animals at 

 birth: (i) The size of the dam; (2) the age of dam; (3) 

 the breed of both sire and dam; (4) the food given to the 

 dam during gestation; (5) the performance of the dam dur- 

 ing the same period; (6) the number produced at one birth, 

 and (7) the size of the sire. 



It is but reasonable to suppose that there is a relation 

 between the size of the dam and her offspring. This rela- 

 tion may not be uniform and constant, owing to the many 

 influences that affect size in the progeny. The belief in 

 such a relation on the part of practical breeders is shown 

 in the preference which they give to well developed dams 

 when seeking progeny of superior development. This fact 

 is also recognized by scientists who have studied the ques- 

 tion, when they seek to establish an approximate relation 

 between the weight of the dam and her offspring based 

 upon her weight. 



It has been observed that the best averages in size have 

 been obtained in progeny from females in the meridian of 

 vigor and maturity. Since it has been noticed that progeny 

 of the first birth from a dam not yet mature is usually of 

 less size at birth than the progeny of future births, prac- 

 tical men are chary about rearing such animals for future 

 breeding. They give the preference to the former. That 

 progeny of animals yet immature or past the meridian of 

 vigor would be of less average size, is in accord with the 

 known laws of physiology. The food given to the former 

 is more or less diverted from the foetus to complete growth. 

 That given to the latter is less perfectly assimilated than 

 at a later period. 



That breed exercises an influence on the relative size 

 of the progeny at birth is in accord with the first law of 



