Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-06-10
INTERESTING TO CATTLE MEN.
Production of Sex at Will.


Of letters upon the production of desired
sex, written to a scientific gentleman of this
city, by Mr.. D. d, Fiquet, of Houston, Texas,
a graduate OF the Harvard Law School, whose
failing health drove him from the bar to a
business in the open air, and who is at pres
ent practical cattle-breeder.
In these letters Mr.. Fiquet claims to have
discovered system by means of which, with
unerring certainty, he can cause q cow to
give birth either to bull or heifer calf, ac-
cording to his wish. He developed his sys-
tenn at the cost of much previous experiment
and many failures in his attempts ITO dis
cover the causes which contro! and the con-
ditions which determine the matter Of sex
He made use of all available scientific au-
thorities of note, discarding them one by one
as he proved their fallacies. In this way he
disposed of Thury's law, which, says MIR.
Fiquet, sis utterly worthless in practice and
wrong in theory. 1t is fatty contradicted by
the ordinary experience of stock-raising."
Being impressed by Waldeyers remark in
time after impregnation the oVuln is, in GER
tain sense, hermaphrodite, MIR. Fiquet was led
to imagine that the matter Of sex might per-
haps be controlled and determined by the
female during pregnancy. Familiar, also,
with the fact that in the bee, moth, and but
te1f1y families sex can be governed by the
simple conditions of care and feeding, he re-
solved to try the effects of nutrition upon his
COWS after the act of COTTON. To this end he
selected two animals whose condition for
many months had been Identical, and had
them served by the bull. Having now two
COWS in precisely the same physical status, he
fed one richly, and underfed the other. At
term each cow produced heifer. He then
repeated the experiment with two other ami
mails, treating them during their pregnancy
in q similar manner. Each COW gave birth
to bull calf. Mr.. FiQuet naturally aban-
boned this method, and, despairing of secur-
ing any aid through physiology, he turned
to nature herself"
An intimate acquaintance with the birth
and death-rate statistics of life insurance had
led him to remark the uniformity in the pro-
portions of each sex. This suggested the
thought that harmless method of disturbing
this uniformity OF sexes at birth might be the
solution of his problem. How to accomplish
this was the next question.
Recalling to mind all his married acquaint-
ances, he made the observation, not only that
in some families female children, in others
male children, predominated, but likewise
that vigorous, passionate man and cold,
unimpassionate woman generally begat sur
plus of female children, and that, reversing
the temperaments, boys abounded. Then
occurred to him the idea that if, by any
means, he could render his bull more passion
ate than the cow at the time OF COTTON he
would thus secure the birth of the opposite
sex, or heifers, and gice 0ersG. Believing he
could accomplish this by feeding and care
tul attention, he began his experiments.
Choosing eight COWS, he fixed upon one
from which he desired bull cali, the other
seven were to produce heifers. Having care
fully noted the dates of the periods OF the
eight COWS, he allowed them to pass one
estrum, and was thus able to anticipate the
return of the period in each. The COW des-
tined to produce bull calf came in first MIR.
Fiquet began to feed her most bountifully up
on grain, corn, OATS meal, and rich hay. A
few days before the temperance of her
period she was Withdrawn from the herd,
stabbed, and right royalty attended. AS an.
ticipated her passion came and IN full blast.
The bull, meanwhile, had been fed upon
green and cooling food, which moderated the
usual vigor of his passion, and the difference
between the animals Twas thus rendered
plainly discernible."
'sMy theory" says Mr.. Fiquet, 'was that,
the cow being far more desirous for the bull
than was the latter for>the cow, nature was
calling more loudly through the female than
through the male for the natural qualification
of her desires; that the services OF male
were more necessary than those OF female /;
and that pari p0ssu, the creation OF male
thus became a more natural necessity than
that of female" This he supposed to be
the desired disturbance of uniformity in ma
ture, and consequently that in her very econo.
my nature required the production of bull
calf "Think Of the theory as you may, he
adds, 'sthe cow was served by the bull twice,
and the result was the desired bull calf"
The remaining seven COWS were submitted
to the gallantry of castrated bull, who, al
though impotent, served as never-faillng
detective of the periods of the COWS. Mr..
Fiuuet was thus enabled to anticipate their
seasons of heat with exactitude, and, more
over, supposed the fruitful activity OF this
bull would be of use in reducing the passion
of the COWS.
Previous to his introduction to each of
these cows, the other bull was generously fed
on various rich grains and clover hay. On
the other hand, the several COWS were kept
cool by light food, grazing, green fodder,
and bran. When their periods arrived, the
animals we're allowed to run temporarily with
the castrated bull, and their frenzy was thus
partially allayed. Being finally coupled with
the seryice-b bull, the conditions in each ease
were a rampant bull and a moderately ex-
cited cow.-the reverse of the conditions in
the first exneriment. The bull therefore be-