The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-07-18
Ii RIVER PRESS.

and secure the best possible results for
our investment Of time and money.
| cannot bring to your attention the
observations Of a lifetime OF experience
in stock management; the opinions
formed, however, as the result OF a few
years at wool growing, together with
what seems to be most generally .ae-
cepted by those who have made a life
work of it will at least establish a ground
for arguments and discussions from
which only good can result.
The influence which each parent ex-
erts ia transmitting its qualities to the
offspring has been an interesting study
for many years. At the meeting of the
Highland Agricultural in 1926, large
premiums were offered for the best es-
says produced upon stock breeding.
Even at this late date the only one pub
lished in full maintained that the male
transmitted his peculiarities to a greater
extent than did the female. This theory
was probably formed from the much
greater resemblance Of the issue to the
males, which was natural enough when
we consider that the offspring OF a given
number of males was much more num-
erous than from a given number OF fe-
males, and from the fact also that males
were always selected while practically
all females were used for breeding. In
the light of later experiments, where
the conditions in regard to male and fe-
male were equal, it is shown that other
causes than simply sex are responsible
for the transmission Of the parents
qualities.
BY means of the selection of the best
animals for breeding purposes, especial
ly among the males, through a long
series Of years, We have Established
among domestic animals various distinct
families, each being possessed OF some
peculiarly good quality or qualities and
now known as thoroughbreds. 1t is
universally conceded now by all breed
ers of domestic animals-horses, cattle,
sheep, swine, etc.-that these character
istics Of highly bred parents which have
been held in a family for hundreds of
generations will be transmitted to the
offspring to a much greater extent than
will those of the parents of more COM
mon stock. This law may appear to fail
in some cases where the thoroughbred
parent for some reason has much less
vigor than the parent Of more common
blood. Mn the Massachusetts, agricul-
tural report for 1860 we find the position
taken that the powers Of procreation OF
the male is much impaired by excessive
use, which undoubtedly diminishes the
potency with which he transmits his
qualities. Even in this case it is the eX-
ception and not the rule that the Off
spring takes the characteristics Of the
poorly bred parent. Walker, Orton and
many others have deduced what they
believed to be laws in regard to the parts
of the animal that take after the male
and the parts that take after the female
parent. In crossing different tgeeds it
is the general belief that the Exterior
portions, that is the muscles, ski1Mwool.
limbs, size, shape, etc, take attn, TIVE
male parent, while the internal p Stiohs
such as heart, lungs and digestid tie or
gans take after the female.V
Miles, in his excellent work on stock
breeding, shows where the above author
tiles contradict themselves and each
other upon this point, and after giving
many cases and authorities, including
lhis own experience, to the contrary,
F%concludes that this theory is false. Oar
win also, III his "Animals and Plants
under Demonstrations" shows that this
theory of one half of the animal taking
the female cannot be true. X He, how
CFOI. silo"o Ii SO1i1lho1A fIth Ill III
authorities that the stable qualities of a
long line of ancestors, as in the thorough
bred animal, will be transmitted to a
much greater extent than the changing
peculiarities of grade animals. Still, all
believe that there are laws governing
the transmission of peculiarities that
have not yet been determined and tkst
the field is wide in which to Workyln
this direction.
1T would seem from the best authori-
ties we can get that oil the peculiarities
of the thoroughbred parent may be eX-
pected to predominant in the offspring.
What are the qualities we wish to see
most highly developed in our rams, for
instance? Do we want to breed from
me noted for speed in running, for his
powers of endurance in travelling many
miles, for the little food he consumes or
for his fighting qualities, or do we want
to breed from an animal lacking all
these peculiarities and who spends all
his time and energies in converting,
through a powerful digestive organiza-
ltion, large quantities of food into flesh
or large amounts of wool? We are not
breeding race horses, deer hounds, or
lightweight fighting animals, but ma
chimes to convert grass into mutton or
wool. The very first Quality, then, OF
a good animal is that he shall have x
ceedingly well developed digestive or
gans. Large quantities Of wool or NUT
ton can not be produced from an animal
that does not eat a large amount of food
which he digests we'll.
Something can not be produced from
nothing, and he who breeds with any
thing of the kind in view is working to
vow tho - xxyc - 1eafy1v w ~ nI1f $50
chine called a sheep, that holds the