THE MALE ANIMAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 12

THE MALE ANIMAL.

While the breeder interested in the improvement of his stock should exercise his powers of selection both, on the male and female side, there is good reason why special care should be taken in the selection of the sire. The latter is usually the parent of many offspring, whilst the dam —in the case of the mare, the cow, and the ewe—only gives birth tc one or two young in the course of a year. A purebred male animal should be healthy and sound in constitution. We look to the male animal to stamp his individuality on the flock or herd, so far as the formation of flesh and wool be concerned, while experience has shown that the value of the dairy bull with high butter-fat backing is of first rate importance. The value of purebred stock is undoubted. In the first place, it costs practically no more —sometimes less—to rear a purebred animal than one that ds not purebred, while if a butcher’s animal, there is usually less waste about it, and more substance in the useful part of the carcass, if it is purebred. . It is not to be inferred that any purebred animal will make a desirable parent because it has an ancestry or a pedigree of paper merit or is exceptional as regards its external form, the texture of wool or hair, etc. What is wanted in the male animal of merit is prepotency — that is, one that is capable of improving his stock. Sterilitv and impotence in the male domestic animals cause enormous animal losses to the breeders of live stock. The loss to the individual owner is, perhaps, not great, but in the aggregate it apiountg to a big figure. Sterility has been defined as “ the incapacity on the part of an animal to reproduce its species.” From the broad

standpoint, this definition may be fairly correct, but an animal may be fertile yet impotent, and be unable to produce its kind. Sterility and impotence may exist together, or they may exist separately. “ A sterile male is one,” to quote an interesting article which appeared in a recent issue of Meat and Wool, “ in which there is some defect in the fertilising fluul. The semen impotency, on the other hand, exhibits some defect in the sexual organ, or in the nervous system. That is to say, there may not necessarily be physical defects in the genital apparatus, but there may not be a proper affinity or cohesion between the nervous

and physical attributes. It is only by simultaneous action of both that properejaculation takes place. “ Sterility may be permanent or temporary, and as soon as a case is observed or detected, an examination should be conducted whether there is any deficiency or abnormality of the essential organs. Great care must be exercised in the examination —rigs are often great sources of trouble. Many of them may be fertile up to two and three years of age, and become sterile as they mature. From the conformation and soundness standpoints, “ rigs ” should not be used for breeding purposes. “ Injuries involving both testicles or their ducts often cause permanent sterility, and this is particularly noticeable in bulls, where fibroid changes have occurred following injuries to the testicles caused by the bull attempting to jump a gate or fence. *• Cases of total absence of spermatozoa from the seminal fluid are noticed in both

horses and dogs. This shows the necessity for microscopical examination of the seminal fluid of the valuable blood horse. In the purchase of a valuable animal for breeding purposes—an examination of the semen should be made in order to decide whether it is potent or not. We are now living in an age alleged to be famed for high intelligence, and in the

purchase of a highly-priced sire it should be accomplished in a business-like and scientific manner.

“ Dearth of spermatozoa may, of course, occur after infectious, contagious, or debilitating diseases, and thus munot be confused with congenital weakness

in that direction. In such cases, the trouble is only temporary in character, and is amenable to treatment.

“ Obesity has for long been recognised as a cause of sterility in live stock, but with careful management —the condition is generally of a temporary character on the reduction of excessive fatness —fertility is usually re-established. “ Purulent trouble in the urethra may cause the presence of pus or matter in the semen, and this may have serious results. In both horses and bulls, there may be a constant dribbling from the urethra, and manual examination may not reveal any abnormality of the organs. A mircroscopic examination will reveal the existence of the organisms of pus. Treatment in such cases is most unsatisfactory. “ Sexual incompatibility may also be included as a cause of sterility. All stock breeders have had instances where a stallion or bull has successfully served many mares or cows, and then one mare

or cow does not ‘ hold.’ She is put to another sire and conception takes place. Incompatibility seems a good term under the circumstances. Functional disorder and psychic aberration account for many eases of sterility. It must be remembered that the modern domestic animal, be it thoroughbred stallion, Shorthorn, or Ayrshire bull, Berkshire pig, or Airedale terrier, leads a different life from his progenitors.” It is rare to find sterility or impotence in common bred stock or in wild animals, but it is common in well-bred and highlystrung animals. It is improbable, howI ever, that this has anything to do with

a long pedigree or consanguinity, but the value of the animal and its forbears has lifted them into a sphere where everything is of an artificial nature—food, shelter, etc. There are various drugs used for stimulating the genital organs, and they are probably good tonics and at times beneficial, but it is questionable if they have any specific action on the genital organs themselves, or the centre which controls sexual desire. There is nothing more discouraging to the station owner or farmer to possess a good looking male animal and to find that it is absolutely incapable of passing on its estimable qualities.