Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-09
FERTILITY OF SHEEP
The Tendency to Multiple Births
In Shropshire Sheep.

Orono, Ne, July 7.-(SpeciaD. One
Of the most important factors in de-
termining the success or failure Of
tho sheep industry. which is showing
such a remarkable revival in Maine
at the present time, is that Of the fer
tility Of the flock. II a certain def
mite average number Of lambs per eve
is not reached in any season the sheep
are not going to be q profitable branch
OF the farm operations for that sea-
son. What this average number of
lambs per eve necessary to profit must
be varies in different years and with
different market conditions But in
any case. and in any season it is per-
fectly evident that, broadly speaking,
the sheep raiser wants to get as many
lambs as he can, consistent with the
Of the health and vigor of
his flock Of ewes and the lambs.
1t is q well known fact that certain
breeds Of sheep are distinctly more
fertile than others In the more fer
tile breeds the ewes are much more
apt to drop twins or triplets than in
the less fertile breeds. It Is a very i'm
portant matter for the sheep Industry
to determine, so far as may be posi-
BILE, what it is that these fluctuations
in prolificacy depend upon. Are they
inherited? Or do they depend on the
manner in which the flock is treated,
either in respect to feed or care in
other ways? If tendency to high
fertility or prolificacy is inherited, then
1t means that by suitable breeding
the flock can be improved In
this particular. II, on the other hand,
heredity has nothing to do with it, 1t
would be idle to try to breed for this
characteristic, and all ones attention
should be turned to the matter Of feed
and care.
Little definite information il at hand on
these points and for this reason there
has been begun at the Maine Agricul-
tural Experiment Station during the past
year preliminary investigation regard
ing the problem Of multiple births in
American bred Shropshire sheep. The
are particularly interesting
and important to study in this connec-
ton because, on the whole, multiple
births probably occur with greater fire.
quency among the Shropshires than any
other Of the common pure breeds of
sheep.
pedigrees have been made for 50 cases of
trplets in American bred Shropshire
sheep. These pedigrees give every in
dividual ancestor. 50 far as these are
known. for five generations back, and a
record has been made as to whether each
ancestor was or was not born as one
member of a set Of twins or triplets or
was a single birth. For comparison with
these, similar pedjgrees have been
worked out for an equal number of anil
mails known to have been born as single
work with similar pedigrees for twin
births and for much larger numbers OF
triplets and singles
The analysis Of the records so far OBJ
tained is not yet completed, but so far
as it has gone 1t would indicate that If
the tendency to multiple CESSATION is in
herited in Shropshire sheep, this inheri-
lance is greatly obscured by the action
of other factors. This is shown by the
fact that the proportion OF ancestors
which were themselves either twins or
triplets is not greater in the case Of trip
let births than 1t il in the case Of single
births, whereas if the character were in
herited in a simple and clean-out man.
ner we should expect a marked difference
in the two cases. 1t is hoped that an
other years work will throw much addi-
tional light on this problem.
In connection with this study the Maine
Experiment Station will be
very glad to receive information in re-
gard to high multiple births in sheep or
any other animals. In sheep particularly
records of the births Of bankruptcies or
are very much desired. Any
regarding such matters
should be sent to Director Chas. D.
Woods, Maine Agricultural Experiment
Station, Orono, Maine.
CeanNa