THE CONTROL OF BEX IN BREEDING. 
497 
tleman earnestly advised his medical confreres to investigate 
the mysteries of nature upon themselves and their families, 
adding, however, that it was a very delicate matter for a man 
to expose in public the secrets of married life. But as he 
was advanced in years, he would not refrain from communi¬ 
cating his personal experience on that question. Imbued 
with the truth of the above physiological law, he expressed 
to his educated wife his desire to investigate this matter for 
the benefit of science, and succeeded in obtaining her con¬ 
sent. The result was as he wished—two sons and a 
daughter. 
This same principle was taken up immediately by scien¬ 
tific agriculturists, and a lew years later, in 1861 or 1862, I 
read in French agricultural papers, several reports of suc¬ 
cessful experiments made by an aristocratic breeder of fine 
cattle. Wishing to obtain a bull calf from a cow that was a 
great producer of rich, creamy milk, he tied a common bull 
with that cow for several days to keep her sexual organs per¬ 
manently excited, and when he thought her nature suffi¬ 
ciently weakened he gave her the service of a strong, vigor¬ 
ous bull, and obtained a bull calf. For the following years 
he succeeded in raising, at will, heifers from the same cow, by 
putting her to the bull on the very first day she come in heat. 
Several other breeders confirmed the truth of this principle 
by proceeding in the same manner .with horses as well as 
cattle and swine. 
I have never since that time read any further details upon 
that question, but can draw from daily life sufficient evidence 
to prove the same facts. 
Many instances are found where a man of old age and 
weak constitution marries a young, robust wife, and the fam¬ 
ily will count all daughters, or more daughters than sons. 
All sheep raisers know well that adult ewes in good health 
and condition will bring more ewe lambs than bucks, while a 
vigorous adult ram, turned out with a small number of young 
ewes or old, weak, sickly sheep, will produce more bucks 
than females. 
I know of an old slut, covered by a young large St. Ber- 
