Number. 



F^r cenf. 



81 



42.2 



6 



3.1 



52 



27.1 



6 



3.1 



3 



1.6 



1 



0.5 



3 



1.6 



36 



18.7 



ed 4 



2.1 



128 Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1917. 



Time of Service 



Early in heat 



Middle of heat 

 ;, Late in heat 



p. Both early and late^ 



On basis of alternate heat theory 



Bull runs with cows 



In relation to feeding or milking time 

 . No regular rule* 



Not reporting on this point and unclassified 



Totals 192 100.0 



^Includes all cases where it is the rule to serve twice during the 

 heat period. 



*In this category are included all cases recorded as "when conven- 

 ient" and the like. 



The facts brought out by this Hst are interesting. It is 

 '^ evident that the great majority of this group of breeders follow, 



);• . or attempt to follow so far as they can, some definite rule in re- 



gard to the time of the heat period at which the cow shall be 

 ■ served. There can be no doubt further that the primary ob- 



, ject sought, in most cases at least, is the control of the sex of 



the offspring. Curiously enough, however, there is nothing 

 like unanimity of opinion as to how such control is to be gained. 

 While roughly 42 per cent of the breeders in the group think 

 that early service is most likely to get heifer calves, about 27 

 per cent are just as strongly of the opinion that service late in 

 - heat is needed to bring about this end. It is curious that only 



|. 6 or 3.1 per cent of the breeders say that they breed in the mid- 



ir-j- die of heat. An examination of the actual times of breeding 



I in hours after the onset of oestrum, shows that really these same 



!<(' 192 breeders are having more of their cows served in what may 



I ', fairly be considered the mid-oestral period than either very early 



I or very late. 



