1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



51 



From tho New England Farmer. 



IMPORTANT FACTS TO BE OBSERVED IN REAR- 

 ING STOCK. 



Mr. Editor — I have never seen in your work an 

 account of M. Giron's experiments, which have 

 brought forward some new and highly important 

 laws, that regulate the form and sex of animals. 

 A brief notice of them will be useful to all who are 

 interested in improving stock. 



M. Giron de Busareingues is an agriculturist in 

 the south of France. His work contains two sep- 

 arate propositions, supported by experiments most 

 numerous and satisfactory. The first is — that in 

 animals of mature age and perfect developement, 

 the influence of the sexes on the external form 

 crosses in generation, the male being more like the 

 dam, and the female, progeny more like the sire. 

 The second is — that in regard to sex itself, the in- 

 fluence is direct, the sex of the progeny correspond- 

 ing with that of the parent which had the strongest 

 constitution, and was in soundest health at the time 

 of union. 



The first of these propositions is deduced from 

 an observation of a vast number of cases which 

 cannot be detailed in this brief notice. After re- 

 marking then that they are sufficiently strong to 

 convince every one of the correctness of the 

 inference, I will proceed to state a few facts by 

 which this second proposition is supported by M. 

 Giron. 



His first remark was, that, in his flock's and studs, 

 those females who were at the most vigorous age, 

 generally produced females whether unitedto 

 strong or weak subjects: whilst those females that 

 had either not attained, or had passed the prime 

 of life, produced males when united to prime sub- 

 jects, and females, when united to very old males. 

 To ascertain whether this discovery corresponded 

 with general observation among practical farm- 

 ers, M. G. made inquiries of the neighboring ag- 

 riculturists, who informed him that they had con- 

 stantly remarked that when the male was young, 

 and the female vigorous, the product of their 

 union was female; while the contrary had as 

 uniformly happened when the conditions were re- 

 versed. 



In order to test this matter still further, M. G. 

 announced, in 1825, to the agricultural meeting of 

 Severac, that a part of his flock, already marked, 

 would give him, at the next agnelage, more females 

 than males. The society nominated two commis- 

 sioners to ascertain the fact, and it turned out that 

 the proportion of males to females was 1000 to 

 1472. 



At a subsequent meeting M. G. offered to effect 

 the production of a majority of males or females 

 in a given flock, at the choice of the society. Two 

 flocks were immediately furnished by members of 

 the society. 



The first flock was divided into two equal parts 

 without reference to age or constitution. The first 

 part being supplied with very young rams gave a 

 product of 30 males to 76 females: the second part 

 being supplied with strong and vigorous rams four 

 or five years old, gave a product of 55 males to 

 31 lemales. 



The second fl )ck was also divided into two sec- 

 tions, but with more regard to the other conditions 

 referred to. The first section composed of strong 

 sheep four or five years old, was sent into rich pas- 



turage and visited by yearling rams; it produced 15 

 males and 25 females. The second sections, com- 

 posed of leeble sheep under four and over five years 

 of age, was placed in dry pasturage, and received 

 two strong rams over three years old; the result 

 was 26 males and 14 females. In both experi- 

 ments it was observed that the lambs produced by 

 the 3 T oung rams were equal in appearance to those 

 produced by the most vigorous. 



The experiments were continued on other 

 classes of animals, birds and insects, with the same 

 results. In the poultry yard, e. g. where the pre- 

 ponderance of maturity and vigor was on the part 

 of the hen, there resulted 725 males and 1000 fe- 

 males: and where the male parent was most vigo- 

 rous and of ripest age, there resulted 1415 males 

 and 1000 females. Among horses his experiments 

 were particularly clear and conclusive. 



It happened to be most profitable to M. G. to 

 have more females than males. With a view to 

 this effect he took care, in the year 1824, to furnish 

 his mares good pasturage, and to give none to foal 

 who had suckled the same year or borne the year 

 previous. "Elles ne furent presentees a l'etalon 

 qu'apres qu'elles eurent donne des signes de cha- 

 leur." Five mares, thus prepared, produced five 

 females; and of fifteen foals procured from 1824 

 to 1827 there were 13 females and two males. 

 In accordance with the same law, it is generally 

 true, I believe, that southern horses (particularly 

 Arabian) produce most female colts when united 

 to the more vigorous mares of a northern clime. 



So far as M. G. extends his comments to the 

 human race, they are not within the design of this 

 brief communication, which is intended for the 

 practical benefit of farmers. This benefit may be 

 easily and plainly deducibie from the above state- 

 ments so far as they relate to horses and poultry. 

 Permit me to allude to the manner in which ad- 

 vantage may be taken of both propositions in rear- 

 ing horned cattle. 



Suppose you have a cow that is a remarkable 

 milker, and wish to procure from her a progeny 

 with the same excellence. Now the common way 

 is, to send the cow to bull, and if she has a heifer 

 calf, if. is raised with high expectations, and the 

 owner is invariably disappointed. The reason of 

 this is, as we now see, that the heifer calf partakes 

 of the external form and peculiar properties of the 

 bull and not of the cow. Proceeding then on the 

 principle developed by M. G. we should do as fol- 

 lows: send the cow whose properties you value to a 

 bull of the ripest age and greatest vigor. The 

 product will be a bull-calf having the form and in- 

 herent properties of the mother, so far modified 

 in their developements as the difference of sex 

 required, but still inherently the same. This bull- 

 calf should be carefully reared, and his female 

 progeny will exhibit the form and properties of fa's 

 dam. 



So also if you have a bull of huge size, fine 

 form, great strength, and other excellences, it will 

 be in vain to expect similar form and properties in 

 his immediate male progeny. But his heifer- 

 calves will inherit his properties, and transmit 

 them to their male progeny. Thus must we be 

 content to pass through one generation, and we 

 shall probably be well rewarded for our patience 

 and perseverance. 



It is scarcely necessary to add that such pa- 

 tience is not necessary in rearing horses. If you 



