ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION. 
279 
great numbers of stockmen ready to avail themselves of service 
in this connection. 
One of the questions of prime importance is the study of the 
vitality of the sperm cell, as well as the effect of continuous 
service on the number and vitality of these cells. Since some 
breeders have been using artificial means of introducing the 
sperm cells into the organs of the female, the question of 
vitality is of interest in order to determine if there are apparent 
reasons why the practice should or should not be successful. A 
study of the vitality of the sperm cell from the horse gives one 
good reasons to expect that the semen can be successfully trans¬ 
ferred by instruments to mares that are ready to breed. By 
collecting semen from the vagina, or from a breeding bag*, and 
making microscopic examinations at intervals, it will be found 
that the sperm cells will show movement for from four to eight 
hours, depending upon the conditions under which the semen is 
kept. Semen from a vigorous horse shows apparently but little 
change for two or three hours after it is collected. This being 
true, it would seem that a successful transfer of semen could 
be made into the organs of animals to be bred when not more 
than five minutes of time is necessary for the work. The sperm 
cell is exceedingly sensitive to the presence of any chemicals, so 
that cleanliness becomes an important factor in this work. The 
syringe, of whatever pattern used, should be kept clean. The 
use of a breeding bag for collecting the semen is unnecessary, as 
the semen may be collected by instrument, either from vagina 
or womb. However, if the stallion or Jack does not object to 
serving with the breeding bag its use makes the work easier, as 
the semen is in a convenient receptacle, and unmixed with any 
of the vaginal secretions of the mare. 
There is no doubt but that there have been too many extrav¬ 
agant claims made regarding the success of artificial insemina¬ 
tion, the length of time the sperm cells will live under artificial 
conditions, and the great distances it has been transferred and 
then used successfully. Some of these exaggerated statements 
are enough to make one having any knowledge of biology c!is- 
