Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-07-06
Studies In Milk Secretion.

As part of the york in the animal hus-
bandry investigation studies In milk se-
cretion are being made by the Maine Ag
ricultural Experiment Station. Six pa
pers have been published. The seventh
paper, Bullentin 2s1, on the "Transmit-
ting Qualities of Jersey Sires for Milk
Yield, Butter-Fat Percentage and Butter
Fat" is now being sent out by the sta
tion. The bulletin contains about 100
pages about equally divided between ta-
bles and text. The object of the study
is to analyze the progeny performance
of the American Jersey Registry of Merit
sires so as to ascertain the nature OF
their transmitting qualities for milk pro-
duction, butter-fat percentage and but
ter-fat. The effort has been made to put
this whole matter in concrete, easily un-
derstandable, numerical terms.
It was found that of the 224 Jersey
Registry of Merit sires which met the
requirement of the performance test for
their transmitting qualities of milk pro.
duction, 105, or less than one-half raised
the milk production of those daughters
over that of the dams of these daugh-
ters. Some of these sires stand out
pretty eminently In the way in which
they have raised the milk production in
their daughters. For instance, Hood
Farm Torono 60328 raised the milk pro-
duction of "a daughters on the average
more than 2600 pounds above their dams.
There are 225 sires in the Jersey Reg
istry of Merit which meet the require
ment of the daughter-dam performance
test for transmitting qualities of butter
fat percentage. Out of this number lO1
sires raised the butter-fat percentage of
their daughters milk as compared with
the butter-fat percentage of the dams of
these daughters. The leading sire in this
but,er.fat percentage performance was
Clear Brook Chief 748S5 who on the av-
erage raised bis daughters about and
1-3 per cent of butter.fat.
There are 224 sires given in the Jersey
Registry of Merit of known transmitting
ability for net butter-fat. Out of this
number only 80 slres raised the butter.
fat production of their daughters over
that of their dams. The sire which made
the deepest impress on the breed by rails
ing the pounds Of butter.fat of the largest
number of daughters over that OF their
dams was Hoods Farm Torono with 81
pairs with an average increase for each'
daughter of over 121 pounds of butter
fat.
There were 150< bulls In the Jersey
Registry OF Merit Of which 1t was posi-
BILE to find the transmitting qualities for
milk production, butter-fat percentage,
and butter-fat of Jersey sires to their
sons. OF this number SO or less than
one. half had sons who raised the butter
fat production of their daughters over
that of the dams.
Sires of superior merit are defined as
those who raise the milk production and
butter-fat percentage of their daughters
as compared with that of their dams,
and inferior sires are defined as those
who lower the milk production and but
ter.fat percentage of their daughters a.
com pared with the same variables in
their dams. There are /28 sires in the
group of sires who are superior In their
transmitting qualities of milk produc'
tion and butter-fat percentage against Al
sires inferior In their transmitting quail
ties. This difference emphasizes with
startling clearness the need of exac
i KuOWI6uR6 VI tuO 4uehbSs
of bulls to be used as sires and the neces
sity of the exact knowledge for the In
heritance of milk production and butter
fat percentage.
Studies of the pedigrees of these two
groups of sires disclosed the fact that al
the animals which appeared in the pedi
grees of the superior sires, on the males
side of the pedigree more than foul
times or In the females side more thar
three times, had animals which appeared
in the pedigrees of the sires that wer'
inferior in their transmitting qualities
This fact alone makes 1t clear that th'
appearance of q certain famous anima
lin the pedigree of given bull is no guar
anty Of that particular bulls work.
This bulletin contains much OF vita
Importance to breeders of Jersey cattle
The large number of requests receivet
for the bulletin, largely from outside o
the State, before 1t was ready for distri
butlon, is somewhat indicative OF the de
Imand that is likely to follow it's publica
|tion. II the reader is on the mailing lie
of the Maine Station he has or will
shortly receive copy of the bulletin
lCopies will be mailed others on request
CHAs. D. WOODS, Director.