The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1906-07-12
POWER OF HEREDITY.

sociate professor of zoology at tna
University of Chicago for the past fouf
wears is at the head Of both biological
laboratories at Cold Spring Harbor
Ia his report of the first years work
Prof. Davenport states that the ihs'i-
,ution's first efforts have been directed
10 studies of heredity. when, ne ae-
c,ares. in spite of their importance
for evolution. have been reiauVeiy
neglected TO deal with this subject
the laboratory has planned WORK.
xhteh II will undertake in eoopera-
ton with others. on all the main
groups of animals and plants
Following this programme. two ana
a half acres of laboratory lana nav
he,n devoted to the rearing OF pedl-
greed plants" whose welfare mas Desn
watched by Drs. Britton and Mac
noroaI Of the New York Bo'aaical
Garden. as we'll as bv the botanist o.
the laboratory. DR.. Shuil. Elghty-ohe
different species of plants were CHOSEN
and kept under careful observation
I several showing notable varlatlohs'
/ What the laboratory is dosng with
nlsuts it Is doing also with insects
In fact, Cold Spring Harbor just now
r,ipht he called an. insect paradise,
o,5 annlications for entrance to the
( laboratory from those minute oehizehs
Of the forest should be numerous.
/ Resides snecial experiments that are
being made at the laboratory with hsn
and snails. the principal investigations
have been confined so far to donesti'
Gated animals-fowl. duck, pigeons,
canary birds. goldfinch, goats, sheep,
rattIe and the plain, everyday harm
less. nece ssary cat
The two goats connected with t-e
laboratory are Irish, and are decorated
with certain peculiar "wartles' on the
neck. The interest attached TO thes:
vattIes. according 10 Prof. Davenport
deoends on the fact that the are typ
zeal abnormalities and subserve nc
function. They have been repeatedly
observed in man. Now, the question
is With these two Irish goats at the
I,botttory. How will the wattles ap-
near in their descendants? The in
teresting pair have had four offspring
since their arrival at the laboratory
some with wattles, some without, ant
Prof. Davenport calculates that witt
greater numbers he should get three
times as many Waited as non-wattlet
offspring.
The same kind of experiment is be
ing conducted with the five sheep a
the laboratory and with pair of Jer
sew and Holstein cattle, from which
Prof. Davenport hopes to improve thu
quality of the Holstein milk. TIT
, five cats with which the laborator!
started have already had IL kittens
, and the experiments regarding then
are thus described by Prof Davenport
.If characteristics are for the mos
, part inherited entire and can be com
btned in various ways, like atoms II
chemistry, it should be possible to OBJ
tain ANY desired combination. At tn
! beginning of the year I set mysel
the tasR of producing a white, blue
eyed, deaf, long-haired, tailless, poly
dactyl cat My parental stock con
, sists of: No. 1, black Manx NAL
(tailless) No. 2, black, tailed. poly
3 dactyl female; No. 8, female Maltes
polydactyl; No. 4, white, blue-eyet
deaf, polydactyl female; No. 5, blac
| and yellow polydactyl female.
5 AS a result obtained a great va
rlety of combinations Of characteri:
: tics |"