Essentials of Animal Breeding. H 



points of similarity. Young from multiple births, resulting from 

 the fertilization of different egg cells, show as wide a difference 

 in individual characteristics as young resulting from separate births. 

 The most prolific of the common domestic animals are the birds. 

 The domestic hen may lay more than 200 eggs in a single year. 



The common practice of British shepherds, known as "flushing" 

 ewes, has been claimed to increase the proportion of lambs in the 

 flock. This practice consists in giving the ewes an increase in their 

 feed, both grain and succulent pasture, so that they are gaining in 

 weight and condition at breeding time. No exact scientific data 

 have been available until recently, when Marshall and Potts, of the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, conducted experiments which confirmed 

 the correctness of the British practice. They also have evidence 

 which indicates that the success of the practice depends on cutting 

 off the grain ration and putting the ewes on short pasture as soon 

 as thev are bred. 





- . r , -:;-:./- 



L. 



What a Good Mother Can Do. 



FIG. 2. The ewe at the right was lambed in March, 1914. She was a prize winner as a 

 yearling and as a two-year-old. Her first lamb was a ram dropped in 1916. Since 

 then she has had seven lambs. The other two ewes are her twins of 1919 and were 

 shown in the trio for Hampshire ewe lambs, winning first prize at the 1919 Inter- 

 national Live Stock Exposition. The lamb at her side is her 1920 contribution to 

 the wealth of America's purebred livestock industry. 



The rules or laws of the inheritance of fecundity are not all known, 

 but to some extent it is dependent on inheritance from the mother; 

 therefore, the selection of females which have a tendency to produce 

 a large number of young at a birth will tend to increase the returns 

 from the flock or herd. This is of practical importance in the case 

 of hogs, sheep, goats, and poultry. Twins in cattle are objectionable 

 unless of the same sex. When a heifer is a twin with a bull calf, 

 the heifer is known as a " freemartin " and in the majority of in- 

 stances is sterile. 



PREPOTENCY MENDEL'S LAW. 



Prepotency is the power of an animal, male or female, to stamp its 

 characteristics on its offspring. If this ability is handed on to sons 



