Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-07-30
Influence Of Parent upon Offspring.

Influence OF Parent upon OHsprinE'
Different views have been held upon the
relative influence Of parents upon their off,
spring but in modern times, the discussions
OF this question date from the publication of
n number of prize essays written upon the
following subject whether the breeds of
live stock connected with agriculture, be sus-
ceptible TO tho greatest improvement from the
qualities conspicuous in the male, or from
those conspicuous in the female parent"
This was in 1926, and the prizes were given
by the Highland Agricultural Society of Scot
land the essays, wholly or in part appear
ing in the transactions of this old society.
The claims of one of these writers can be
briefly stated in his own words ANY n.y.
pothesis which would assign a superiority, or
set limits to the influence of either sex in the
product of generation, is unsound and mad
missable." This assertion seems bold, but we
will see that even with fifty five years of the
best thought and investigation in this direc-
ton, the essayist was not far from the truth
as the matter stands to-day. Another writer
asserts that the greater modifying influence is
possessed by the male, and gives a number
of cases to prove his point These instances
cited by the essayist admit of a different in
depreciation. DIR. Miles in his "Stock Breed
ing" says on this point, 'the males used be-
ing more highly bred than the females and
likely to be prepotent in the transmission of
their qualities, his conclusions as to the supe-
rior influence of the male are not sustained by
the evidence presented" This is an impor-
tant thought in this quotation. The ''more
highly bred, that is, the longer animals of
like or similar character are bred together,
the stronger becomes the power of stamping
those characters upon the offspring. When
an animal thus bred is crossed with one with
out any strong common character in its an
cestry, the former has the greater influence
the controlling power over the offspring. So
far as known this principle holds equally good
with males and females, but as, in general
practice, blooded male is Crossed with grade
or native females, and the result is an animal
more after the sire than the dam, it is natural
that the conclusion of the writer might be OBJ
tanned. The reason why, in the majority of
cases, the males will be the higher bred goes
without saying, the whole question resting on
the fact that n male can serve n number of
females. Through the purity of the blood of
the males must the mass of the domestic ami
mails be raised to higher standard, and it is
the work of the pure blooded female to pro-
duce these males to go out and infuse this
higher blood; to impress good, strong char
acters on the otherwise comparatively low
bred stock, or in other words, stock that has
not been bred at all.
We must not confound strength of charac-
ter, as we have been using the term character,
with the vigor and strength of the animal
male of high constitutional development, full
of animal life, may be very weak as regards
its power to express itself upon the offspring,
and rice CerSG. Aside from breeding, or the
lack of it, there are other though secondary
conditions, which determine in some measure
the animals prepotency. Thus, age has an
influence. Animals immature or in old age,
do not in general, control the offspring to
the degree that is observed when in full
strength of middle life Again, the powers
may be lessened by over use, to be regained
by repose. It is hardly necessary to mention
that in some of these secondary modifying
conditions the sexes do not share equally, as
is especially the case in the one last men
toned Another of the Highland essayists
dwelt upon the theory that the male controlled
the external and the female the internal quail
tiles of the animal. This ingenious idea has
been most discussed in later times but being
based on pure assumption to start with, and
not upheld by subsequent physiological and
embryological study, like many Others has
the Scotch verdict upon it: mot proven"
DR.. Miles, whose work, above mentioned,
contains all the most recent information on
this subject says Instead of limitation of
the influence of each parent to particular
set of organs, we find the parent that is pre-
potent in the transmission of its characters,
has a controlling influence upon the internal
as well as the external organization of the Off
spring" Whatever the truth of the whole
subject may be, at present it must be admitted
that there is only one known law bearing upon
it: Like produces like )" the action of which
results in tixidity of character, and therefore
controlling power.-Am Agrfcultu'1st.