I860.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



655 



surpass the originial specimens from which 

 they may have been obtained. All, however, 

 if neglected, possess a tendency, as it is term- 

 ed, to degenerate, or, in other words, to resume 

 their original character; and this is doubtless 

 a valuable property. Our improved cattle do 

 not possess those conditions which are best 

 adapted for perpetuating the species ; and it 

 becomes evident, upon examination, that na- 

 ture, whilst she has with jealous care made 

 abundant provision for perpetuating every de 



said to produce an excitement of the energy 

 which had previously remained dormant. 



The majority of cases of difficult breeding 

 may be traced to the excitement of the uterus 

 throwing off the impregnated ovum instead of 

 allowing it to remain and become fully devel- 

 oped into a foetus. The consequence is, that 

 many animals continue to take the bull month 

 after month without being productive, and va- 

 rious methods have been adopted to overcome 

 this difficulty. Some bleed the animal imme- 



scription of animal and plant, and given them .diately upon her taking the bull, so as to draw 

 habits and developments best adapted to this [away blood from the part, and decrease the 

 end, has at the same time given them expan- i excitement ; others throw water over the hin- 

 sive capabilities. Thus, under the care of |der part of the animal, with a view of driving 



man, they are capable of improvement; but 

 as soon as he neglects them, they gradually 

 reassume their original form, in which they 

 are independent of his care. So far, then, 

 from being an imperfection in the design of 

 Nature, we see here how she encourages those 

 who strive for improvement^ whilst at the same 

 time she has not overlooked the safety of the 

 species when neglected and uucared for by 

 man. 



The difficulties which impede our breeding 

 from highly developed animals are two-fold — 

 barrenness, an incapacity to retain the em- 

 bryo. These are too often looked upon as sim- 

 ilar, but there is a great difference between 

 these two causes. Barrenness results from an 

 imperfect development or action of the organs 

 of generation ; but in order that this may be 

 fully understood, it will be important to have 

 a clear view of the process of productive gen- 

 eration. The seed is formed in the ovaries 

 of the female; as soon as an ovum is fully 

 ripened, it causes a. very great degree of ex- 

 citement, and the animal manifests its desire 

 for the male. This period is determined by 

 the ovum becoming fully matured. Around 

 the mouth of the ovarium we find the fimbriae, 

 which hold in their convoluted folds the ovum 

 thrown off by the female, until the same is im- 

 pregnated by the seminal fluid of the male. 

 The impregnated ovum then descends through 

 one of the Fallopian tubes into the uterus, 

 and the development of the embryo into a 

 foetus immediately commences. 



It is evident that many circumstances may 

 render the animal incapable of breeding; for 

 instance, malformation of any of the parts, 

 and also want of energy in the system to ena- 

 ble the ova to be formed. Natural barrenness 

 of this kind is beyond our control, and the 

 animal will have to be fed; but generally 

 speaking, the animal comes into heat periodi- 

 cally, and hence some other cause is indicated, 

 for it seldom if ever happens that au animal 

 which is incapable of breeding from the two 

 former causes manifests this desire for the 

 male. When, however, this is never observed, 

 it is an old-fashioned plan to give her a quart 

 of milk from a cow which is bulling, and it is 



the blood to the anterior portion of the body ; 

 another method is to throw some water into 

 one of the years of the animal ; this gives a 

 shock to the system, and the fright draws off 

 the attention, and consequently lessens the 

 excitement in the uterus. I have found the 

 most successful plan is to allow the bull to 

 serve again when the period of heat is passing 

 off. It is, however, generally necessary to use 

 a young bull for this purpose. 



Many breeders of high-bred stock, to over- 

 come this evil, have their heifers put to the 

 bull very much earlier than they otherwise 

 would do — in some cases when little more than 

 yearlings. It is very evident that a great sa- 

 crifice is made by adopting this plan. Before 

 an animal has made its growth and its parts 

 have become fully developed, the energy of 

 the system is diverted towards another object; 

 if, therefore, the nourishment the heifer re- 

 ceives is divided between promoting its own 

 growth and that of the calf, it is evident that 

 both will sutler therefrom. The parent is thus 

 thrown out of proper form by the weight it 

 has to support, and the entire system suffers 

 from an excessive demand on its strength. The 

 offspring is equally prejudiced, for it receives 

 the constitution of an enfeebled parent, and 

 for a considerable time shows the ill-effects 

 upon its system-* 



It has been considered that this difficulty of 

 breeding is a necessary consequence, but I have 

 to a great extent overcome it by adopting the 

 following plan. Presume that we are dealing 

 with a choice lot of heifers, which have had 

 every means and opportunity for becoming 

 fully developed, and that from the period of 

 birth until they are, say, from twenty-one 

 months to two years old, they have been reared 

 with the view of producing as perfect animals 

 as the breed will allow. Supposing, them to 



* Heifers may, at sixteen months, if properly 

 developed, be put to breed withoutany injurious 

 consequences, provided always that they are 

 liberally fed during the period of gestation, and 

 not allowed to suckle their offspring. By being 

 put on good pasture they will grow freely, and 

 this practice almost insures them going on breed- 

 ng, and their shape is not injured. — /. D. 



