26 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JouRNAL. [1 Juty, 1899. 
Dr. Anderson, in his “Recreations in Agriculture,” mentions the case of 
a bitch that was born with only three legs. She has had several litters of 
RU PEIeS; and among these several individuals were ae that had the same 
efect with herself. He states also that a cat be onging to Dr. Coventry, of 
Edinburgh, which “had no blemish at its birth, lost its tail by accident when it 
was young. It has had many litters of kittens, and in every one of these there 
was one or more of the litter that wanted a tail, either whole or in part.” 
Blumenbach, as quoted in the ‘ British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical 
Review,” affirms that a man whose little finger of the right hand had been 
nearly demolished and set awry, had several sons, all of whom had the little 
finger of the right hand crooked. I have many times wished to find out 
whether the docking of tails, which has been carried on amongst almost all the 
merino flocks in the world for a long time, has had the effect of lessening the 
number of the caudal vertebrw. The question is of interest to the physiologist, 
and therefore indirectly also to the breeder. 
The practical part of sheep-breeding with reference to fine wool-growing 
will be treated later on. T may fitly conclude this chapter by quoting a passage 
from Shakspeare’s ‘ Winter's Tale.’ words which seem to embody in a few 
words all that I have said about the principles of breeding :— 
Perdita: For I have heard it said, 
here is an art, which, in their piedness, shares 
With great creating nature. 
Polixenes: Say there be ; 
Yet nature is made better by no mean, 
But nature makes that mean: so, o’er that art, 
Which, you say, adds to nature, is an art 
That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry- 
A gentler scion to the wildest stock ; 
And make conceive a bark of baser kind 
By buds f nobler race; this is an art 
Which Joes mend nature,—change it rather ; but 
The art itself is nature, 
THE COLLEGE HERD. 
Ir may be interesting ‘to those farmers who take an interest in their dairy 
stock, and the yield of milk of individual cows, to read the following table 
showing the results obtained from some of the dairy herd at the Queensland — 
Agricultural College, Gatton. The returns here given are taken from the 
College dairy registers, and we present them to our readers without comment. 
The figures only date from the time when the present Principal of the College, 
Mr. Mahon, took charge, and have no reference to dairy work prior to that 
time :— 
MILK RETURNS. 
Name of Cow.| Breed. | Calved. Dry. 
oO 
oiler lee a ny 8 5 | Equiva- 
| ap | 33 slp : . s|ale ad oO Total ee : 
am] 1) BL] as ales 5 | Total.) 5 2] lent in 
Z\z\2|SlS|S/S 2 |S/2/S|2 ee Butter. 
1848. 1899. | 1b.} 1b. | 1b.| Ib.) 1b.) 1b, | Tb. 
Rosebud __... | Ayrshire | 2nd June | 16th Mar.|5151571/568 562/569 573) 455 38 | 189-94 
Annie Laurie 1 10th June atts Feb. |360/ 575381 367|392 339|332/185 39] llg28 
898. 
Opal ... | Jersey | 6th April | 28th Lec./467|481/479/453'345|259) ... |... 40} 1119 
Eileen te cf: Ist Aug. 3%) -+, 467/543 569 541)/536)510) 3°8 | 166°190 
Jersey Belle ... a 3rd Aug. |28th April]... 420/468 473 495 |501'523 3:9) 172°71 
Content "n * 7th July iy 330/458|478 489 510/496 517 3:9} 18244 
Stumpy % a 26th July Mas 68 572/634 689 765|739 627 4:1 | 236:39 
Blinkg ee “are. | eye 9th April | 20th Feb. '318/355|377 396 391/353 295 39} 115:0 
Lavinia ie i 20th June} 2nd Jan. |443/48y|476 481/449 375| 12] . 37 | 11374 
Ream ... Pa 3 8th July | 20th Feb. td 480) pithy Seas 38] 191°08 
Se ——eeSSSeSFE 
