604 tENETICS IN RELATION TO AGRICULTURE 
veniently have on its back a pedigree blank for recording all the ancestors 
for at least four generations back. A separate sheet of this kind should 
be made out for at least each breeding individual; individuals which are 
not to be kept for breeding purposes may be noted on other specially 
devised condensed blanks, which give only the necessary essential data 
respecting them. 
The Description Sheet.—The purpose of the description sheet is to 
provide space for notes bearing upon the characteristics of the animal 
in question, short items which may be jotted down from time to time 
whenever they occur to the breeder. This sheet should also’bear what- 
ever extended individual descriptions may be necessary. In many cases, 
the use of a printed outline such as that shown in Fig. 235, which is used 
in the investigations of pigeon breeding at the Wisconsin Station, aids 
greatly in making such descriptions definite and detailed without much 
labor. An outline form for instance will aid materially in recording the 
extent and position of black and white areas in Holstein-Friesian and 
other cattle which usually have broken colors. 
The Progeny Sheet—For recording matings and progeny a special 
sheet is often useful, although it is often possible to provide space for 
this data on the individual sheet. This blank will generally be used in 
the form of a follow sheet to accompany other sheets of each breeding 
female. Space should be provided for recording dates of service, name 
of sire used, date of delivery, sex of offspring, and other vital data of 
this type. There should be a place for recording the disposition of the 
offspring; if added to the breeding herd, a cross-reference should be 
made to its individual sheet. 
The Performance Sheet.—The performance sheet is necessary only 
when the data obtained under this heading are relatively extensive as is 
the case in milking records of dairy cows or egg records of hens. This 
sheet should be devised in such a fashion as to permit the recording of 
data quickly and accurately. In Fig. 236 is reproduced a summary egg 
sheet such as is used in breeding investigations at the Wisconsin Station. 
It will serve as a type of the kind of sheets which may be used in recording 
data of performance. 
Sheets for Special Purposes.—If the breeder is following out any 
particular type of operations which require special data it should be an 
easy matter to devise sheets which will help him in that matter. As an 
illustration we give in Fig. 237 a reproduction of a sheet used at the 
Wisconsin Station in an investigation of multiple births in cattle. 
General Considerations.—Any system which is adopted should be 
convenient. For that reason a loose leaf system, because it is not bulky 
and offers the maximum freedom in rearrangement and filing, will prob- 
ably prove most satisfactory in practical work. Such systems have 
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