HYGIENE OF BREEDING 897 



nutritive ratio, and should contain a high proportion of 

 lime-salts and phosphates. 



Telegony. — One other point on which we must touch is 

 the question of ' telegony,' i.e., the supposed influence on 

 the subsequent progeny of a female of the first male with 

 which she was mated. The idea that this influence did 

 take place has been very generally held by breeders, but 

 the series of most interesting experiments conducted by 

 Professor Cossar Ewart with zebras, ponies, etc., afforded 

 no confirmation of the theory, and, indeed, it would be a 

 most difficult one to explain physiologically, so that we 

 think it may be very safely ignored in practical breeding. 



Breeding Records. — The breeder should keep careful 

 records of all pedigrees and the results of his breeding and 

 feeding experiments. 



For this last purpose a ' weigh-bridge ' is a most im- 

 portant addition to an up-to-date breeding establishment, 

 and all animals should be weighed once a month to ascer- 

 tain their progress. 



Finally, to sum up, we would advise the breeder to pay 

 careful attention to the following points in his operations, 

 viz. : — 



1. To carefully select the breeds and classes of animals 

 most suited to the nature of the soil and climate. 



2. To pay particular attention to the manuring, grazing, 

 etc., of his land, so that it will produce herbage of the best 

 class. 



3. To avoid unnatural forcing and pampering, and main- 

 tain the whole of his stock in good, healthy condition 

 throughout the year. 



4. To lay down a definite type for each breed at the 

 commencement, and rigidly reject any marked deviation 

 from that type. 



5. To pay careful attention to pedigree, and never to breed 

 from a ' chance ' animal. 



6. Never to breed from an unsound or degenerate 

 animal, or one which shows any tendency to weediness. 



7. To look particularly for size, energy, and massive 



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