CONTROLLING THE SEX.

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 6

CONTROLLING THE SEX.

Many theories hare been advocated ss to how male or female offspring may be produced; and yet. after all, there is no theory in the matter, but a very simple law of Xature (says a writer in the Dakota. Farmer), and many observant breeders will endorse his conclusions. Given a bull and a cow of lilje ages, he says, and stiengili

end constitution, and the produce of these niav be of either sex. But let the bull be old or weak, or out of condition, and the calf Trill, almost -without exception, be male, and this is merely the law of Nature trying to reproduce, because, of the two animals," the bull shows evidence of being the one likely to die first, and, therefore, the naale calf would bs the one required to* carry on the breed ; in short, the offspring produced is of the same sex as a rule as the weaker of the two parents. This, I know, is quite contrary to the most general theory ; but I have taken the trouble to study and prove it during the past six-and-thirty years, and I have found it is invariably the case, not only as regards cattle, but also in the case of sheep, horses, and even human beings. When our colonies -were first settled, and quantity rather than quality was the one thing desired, young rams -were put to old broken-mouthed ewes, with the result that ewe lambs were produced in numbers as 18 to 20. But -when heavily-fleeced wethers were wanted old rams were put to two-year-old ewes, and the result was that about three-parts of the lambs were rams. I know that what I have written will be contradicted by many, but I have proved it correct during 30 years of a farming life at Home and abroad.