STAMINA OF STOCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21906, 15 September 1934, Page 22

STAMINA OF STOCK

BY H.B.T.

; HINTS FOR BREEDERS TYPES AND PREPOTENCY

Next in importance to soundness of constitution in the foundation stock with which a breeder intends to establish a stud, are the productive qualities which he intends to improve or intensify. These, among isheep, may be early maturity, mutton, wool, or a combination of all threo, although it must be borne in mind that there is much greater prospect of success if the improvement of one feature is first of all concentrated upon. As what applies to ssheep, regarding a propensity to come to maturity early, and to produce quick fattening and a high quality of meat, is equally applicable to beef cattle, it will be sufficient to briefly touch 011 the features which have been found to accompany these characteristics in both species. It is understandable that where a big frame with heavy bone has to be provided for, this has firsit call on all nutriment which may be available both before and after birth. The more that is expended in the building of the skeleton, the less is available for the formation of flesh, and surplus in the form of fat. After the birth of an animal) there are alternating periods of what may be termed growth and con-, solidation. k. Development of Lambs For the first three months after birth the lamb puts on practically no condition, ail its nutriment being diverted to growth. During the following three months growth is much slower, but the youngster builds up flesh and condition,, and this alternation of flesh and skeletal formation continues until maturity has been reached. Itcao be seen, therefore, that if the hereditary influence to fonna tig skeleton is present,-, this, Having first claim on all nutriment, may receive much more than its fair share, leaving a deficiency as far as the formation of and fat is concerned. Thus largeframed and big-boned, stock is always jslqwer. at coming to majority, or fatitening during the peritsd of. growth* than are small-frained' aiid light-boned animals. ' r " . Especially is this the case where the supply of feed is limited,, or where the dams are of a smaller- !<ype .than .the males with which they hive been mated. In ..such circumstances there may be a sufficiency of feed to beep the dams in healthy condition, and to supply sufficient nourishment to their young if of normal size; when,- however, through the influence of the sires, .there is a. propensity for the progeny to have bigger frames th in their dams, (from whom the amount of nutriment is limited),, the result is slowness in coming to maturity, anil difficulty to fattening. When early-maturity and quick-fattening are desired, rthe breed-, ing stock should be small in the bone and compact in form," and. the . males' , should not greatly excetid the females, in size. Shortness in head, neck and. limbs, where these are; accompanied by ample capacity in the trunk, are also features accompanying early maturity. v : Density of Flaece Where wool production is the main : consideration, density of: the fleece is of more consequence than length of staple in securing weight of clip. In fine-woolled breeds where the wool has a "crimp" rather than a "wave," the colour of the skin is a Fairly accurate indication of the quality or fineness of the wool fibre, Where the flesh js r a, rosy or chenyjpink colour " the fibre fe usually both fine* and regularly, crimped. In the" coarter-woolled * breeds,' where the wool is waved rather than crimped,'the natural colour of the skin is paler in healthy animals. The colour is really an indication of the thickness of the skin and the thinner the skin the finer and more crimped is the wool, because the : wool follicles are compressed so that they are themselves in a crimped form. A sheep that grows pure wool unmixed with "kemp" on the "points," and is also densely woolled to all its extremities, ik, likely to be densely covered with pure fibre over all its body. For and "not forrthe value of the Slocks" which are clipped from these covering of the points should, not be overlooked; As a final test for purity of wool and absence of undullation, the benzol test, as developed by Ifassey Agricultural', College, should not be neglected. * . Howfever, it may be quite possible to find all the desirable features, in stock with which' itvia intend<sd to found a ' stud,, and yet find that they are quite, or almost useless for the purpose because .they .-lack "that rather indefinable quality termed "prepotency." Jt is in being able to unerringly detect this prepotency 'that-the insrta«netive * "knowleg?" of stock comes in. Meaning of Prepotency is the power to transmit individual characteristics! in a dominant manner to all the offspring, and is a much more frequent attribute, and a much more valuable one in male than i&; .female stock. Prepotency can only be satisfactorily expiated by Mandel's law of "dominant?'' and "recessive" characteristics, but- may be shortly deitcribed as the po&ession, through long inheritance, of qualities which; dominate iri the formation of jthjß character and features of the, .progeny. 'A prepotent sire having desirable productive characteristics will quickly impress ,these -features on all, his progeny, and "because .'ofthis abilto the possessor. ] &itward,..eKd<Shcea. of are rather , elusive, andmay be entirely overlooked in the study of more obvious qualities. So far as they can be enumerated they are: A bold and aggressive carriage with head held high; a broad forehead with prominent eyes; great width between the' ears; and a bold and rather bowed nose for the breed. - Fixing Superior Type Many so-called stud-breeders are content to purchase the best animals they can procure from some established and successful breeder, and thereafter attempt to maintain the standard of quality by buying superior sires from some efficient breeder. Such methods may produce saleable stock of average qualify, but it is not "breeding" in the true sense of the word, nor can it ever produce a greatly-improved type with fixed characteristics fn the opinion of the writer, a fixed and superior type can only be established by concentrating the blood of one or perhaps two superior prepotent animals throughout a .flock or herd by the , process of in-breeding. Type, as applied to a flock or herd, is merely the establishment of family characteristics in a marked degree throughout a large number of individuals and there is no other known process of securing this resemblance than by infusing each animal with a large proportion of the blood of one prepotent animal. This is the method employed by Nature to secure uniformity when the type its suited to its environment. In-breeding • can be successfully pursued only when the foundation stock is absolutely sound in constitution,. and when , the progeny is relentlessly culled for any weakness which , may become evident as a result either of intensification or original slight. blpmishes, .or of unbalanced development through concentration opoio increased production.