PfEW ENGL.AIVD FARMER, 



AND G A R D E N E R'S J O U R N A L. 



PUBLISHED BY GEORGE C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (Agricultural Warehouse.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



?OL. XIII. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 13, 1836. 



NO. 44. 



iFor the New Eneiand Farmer.] 



IMPORTANT FACTS TO BE OBSERVED LW 

 REARING STOCK. 



Mr Editor — I liave never seen in your work 

 an account of M. Giron's experiments, wliicli 

 have brought forward some new and higlily im- 

 portant laws, that regulate the foi'm and sex of 

 mimals. A brief notice of them will be useful 

 to all who are interested in improving stock. 



M. Giron de Busareingues is an agriculturist in 

 ;he south of France. His work contains two 

 separate propositions, supported by experiments 

 biost numerous and satisfactory. The first is — 

 that in animals of mature age and perfect devel- 

 ppement, the influence of the se.xes on the exter- 

 nal form crosses m generation, the male being more 

 (ike the dam, and the female progeny more like 

 the sire. The second is — that in regard to sex 

 jtself, the influence is direct, the sex of the prog- 

 bny corresponding with that of the parent which 

 pad the strongest constitution, and was in sound- 

 est health at the time of union. 



The first of these propositions is deduced from 

 in observation of a vast number of cases which 

 ;annot be detailed in this brief notice. After rc- 

 narking then that they are sufiiciently strong to 

 jonvince every one of the correctness of the in- 

 erence, I will proceed to state a few facts by which 

 lis second proposition is supported by M. Giron. 



His first remark was, that, in his flocks and 

 ituds, those females who were at the most vigo- 

 ous ago, generally produced females whether 

 mited to strong or weak subjects : whilst those 

 females that had either not attained, or had passed 

 he prime of life, produced males when united to 

 irime subjects, and females, when united to very 

 lid males. To ascertain whether this discovery 

 lorresponded with general observation among 

 iractical fanners, M. G. made inquiries of the 

 leigliboring agriculturists, who informed him that 

 hey had constantly remarked that when the male 

 vas young, and the female vigorous, the product 

 )f their union was female ; wliile the contrary 

 lad as uniformly happened when the conditions 

 vere reversed. 



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

 mnounced, in 1825, to the agricultural meeting of 

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

 vould give him, at the ne.xt agnelage, more females 

 han males. The society nominated two com- 

 nissioners to ascertain the fact, and it turned out 

 hat the proportion of males to females was 1000 

 o 1472. 



At a subsequent meeting M. G. offered to eflTect 

 he production of a majority of males or females 

 n a given flock, at the choice of the society. 

 Two flocks were immediately furnished by mem- 

 bers of the society. 



The first fiock 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 vigo- 

 rous rams 4 or 5 years old, gave a product of 55 

 males to 31 females. 



Tiie second fiock was also divided intD two sec- 

 tions, but with more regard to the other conditions 

 referred to. The first section composed of strong 

 sheep 4 or 5 years old, was sent into rich pastur- 

 age and visited by yearling rams ; it produced 15 

 males and 25 females. The second sections, 

 composed of feeble sheep under 4 and over 5 

 years of age, was placed in dry pasturage, and re- 

 ceived two strong rams over 3 years old ; the re- 

 sult was 26 males and 14 females. In both ex- 

 periments it was obser\'ed that the lambs produ- 

 ced by the young rams were equal in appeai'ance 

 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 

 preponderance of maturity and vigor was on the 

 part of the hen, there resulted 725 males and 1000 

 females : and where the male parent was most 

 vigorous and of ripest age, there resulted 1415 

 males and 1000 females. Among horses his ex- 

 periments were particularly clear and conclusive. 



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

 have more females than males. With a view to 

 this effect he took care, in the year 1S24, to fur- 

 nish his mares good pasturage, and to give none 

 to foal who had suckled the same year or 

 borne the year previous. " Elles ne furent pre- 

 sentees a I'^talon qu'apres qu'elles eurent donn6 

 des signes de chaleur." Five mares, thus pre- 

 pared, j)roduced five females ; and of fifteen foals 

 procured from 1824 to 1827 there were 13 fe- 

 males and two males. In accordance with tlie 

 same law, it is generally true, I believe, that south- 

 ern 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 deducible 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 rearing 

 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, it 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 us 

 follows : send the cow whoso properties you 

 value to a bull of the ripest age and greatest vigor. 

 The product will be a hill-calf having the form 

 and inherent 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 proper- 

 ties of his dam. 



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

 form, great strength, and other excellencies, it will 

 be in vain to expect similar form and properties 

 in his inmiediate 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 

 wish to procure a colt of form and properties of 

 a fine mare, send her to a vigorous horse, and the 

 result will probably be a male, possessing the 

 properties and form of the dam. On the other 

 hand, if you wish a colt resembling a celebrated 

 stud horse, you must send such a mare (either old 

 or very young) as will be most likely to have, from 

 this uuion, a female foal, for it is in this crossing 

 of sexes we get the external form and properties 

 we desire. 



In conclusion allow me to express the opinion 

 that the incredulit}' that exists among farmers 

 about the jiossibility of propagating the qualities 

 of animals, jp.ay arise from their want of know- 

 ledge of these laws. " I don't believe in your 

 breeds of horses," says Farmer A. " There's my 

 neighbor B. has as fine an animal as ever stepped, 

 that came of his old black mare that's not worth 

 a pin." Now if Farmer A. had known as much 

 as I wish to teach him by this paper, the fact he 

 stated would not have led him to his skeptical 

 conclusion. If the fine young animal was a fe- 

 ujale, it matters little what were the qualities of 

 the " old black mare," the foal partook of the 

 form and qualities of the sire, and so on. 



Yours, &c. B. C. 



[By the Editor.} 



The foregoing is a very important paper, and 

 the subject to which it relates is of great interest. 

 We hope it will meet that attention — that theoret- 

 ical and experimental investigation from farmers 

 and bree<!er6 of stocks which a regard to a great 

 improvement in a most essential branch of hus- 

 bandry should induce them to bestow. 



[For the New England Farmer.] 

 INSECTS INFESTING PEAR TREES. 



]\Ir Editor — There may be seen at my store, 

 part of the tap-root of a St. Michael pear ti-ee, 

 from which was taken a worm four inches in 

 length, and about one and a half inches in circum- 

 ference. This worm has made sad havoc with 

 the root, by boring himself spirally round it, under 

 the bark, making an excavation as large as a man's 

 finger. The lower part of the root is completely 

 decayed from this cause. 



Whether this worm is peculiar to the St. 

 Michael pear tree, and whether this is the cause 

 of the decay of these trees for the last few years, 



