496 
J. P. KLENCH. 
THE CONTROL OF SEX IN BREEDING.* 
By J. P. Iylenoh, Y.S. 
I read with pleasure the interesting- and also curious arti¬ 
cle of the North British Agriculturist published in your edi¬ 
tion of May nth, and fully agree with the author when he 
says that the most of the theories propounded on the subject 
are ridiculous in the highest degree. I will even say that 
they all, without exception, are very absurd and can pass off 
easier for stable yarns than for serious theories. 
It must be admitted that if there is a law governing the 
sex in breeding, it must equally apply to all species of ani¬ 
mals, and even to those of the lowest class. 
Physiologists have admitted many years ago, that there 
was no law controlling the sex in the offspring, but proved 
that the sex depends solely upon the actual preponderance 
of either male or female at the time of copulation; that the 
pre-eminence of one nature over another is established by 
health, age, vigor, energy of constitution aud natural devel¬ 
opment. Any male with such advantage, will always repro¬ 
duce not only his sex, but also his strength, speed, endurance, 
form and temper; which fact is well known to all breeders of 
fast horses throughout the United States. 
The real mystery of the generative act has never been 
fully discovered in spite of the most thorough observation of 
the physiologists. It is well known that fecundation, in all 
species of animals, is accomplished by the intimate union of 
the male spermatozoa to the germ of the female; but it was 
so far entirely impossible to find out how their union is es¬ 
tablished, in fact how these animalcules copulate. Science 
could not go further and the final act of fecundation is still a 
mystery. 
This article recalls to my memory a similar discussion 
which took place in the Acadamie des Sciences of Paris, 
France, about thirty years ago, when an old, venerable gen- 
*From the Breeder and Sportsman. 
