Perpetuating an Earmark

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18499, 11 September 1934, Page 10

Perpetuating an Earmark

THE progeny of u herd' sire ■well * known in the, Gisborne district a number of years ago have sired many calves with earmarks. This peculiarilv has persisted even unto the third and fourth generations. A recent paragraph referred to a calf in the Aianawntu which had been calved with earmarks. This was regarded as unusual, but several Gisborne farmers have had numbers of calves bom with the earmarks- of Dominion Hawthorn, a Jersey bull bred by the L’uakura State Farm, Waikato, and although jl was as far back as 191.1 when this bull lira): made its appearance in the Gisborne district calves are still being born with his earmarks. A grandson of Dominion Hawthorn was particularly apt to throw earmarked calves, and all of the progeny by 'this grandson-bore the original Dominion Hawthorn earmark when born. Dominion Hawthorn was bought from the Ituakura Stale farm in 1911 bv Air. J. Haskins, of Alanutuke, and

was Inter owned by the late Mr. N. Roberts, oj' the same district. It was lippareutlv a peculiarity of the blood which caused the Dominion Hawthorn descendants to come into the world naturally earmarked, even unto the third and fourth generations. A somewhat similar case is reported from Hawke’s Bay. A Waipawa cow and its progeny have perpetuated an earmark over the past 30 years. This cow consistently produced calves with her earmark, and all her .heifer calves transmitted it to their progeny, almost without exception. The owner, Mr. It. G. Wilson, still lias several cows which trace back to the original purchase, and these are throwing calves similarly marked.