BREEDING OF STOCK.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 587, 26 November 1920, Page 1

BREEDING OF STOCK.

QUESTION OF "TELEGANY." Arising' out of the recent Court case at Papakura (reported in the 'Times"), wherein the possibility of "telegany" in stock breeding was taken into account, much interest has been evinced. In language as plain as good taste will permit the use of in a public I'.ewspape.r, it may be explained that the theory of "telegany" is that if a female animal, say a mare, conceives for the first time by a certain sire an impress or characteristic of this first sire is liable to occur in all subsequent progeny of the mare, even though she may conceive again and again by other and totally different types of sires. It is the purpose of this article to shew that the theory has no scientific foundation, and to indicate the reasons which have given rise to an erroneous belief.

In the delicate process of procreation of the species, two immature cells, the male spermatozoon, and the female ovum unite to form a single cell, which, in process of division forms the foetus, and which is in due course given birth to. This progeny will reflect the characteristics of the parents, though one may predominate, and to some extent perhaps of the grand-sire and grand-dam, and tlreir further back antecedents.

Now, it is believed by some people that if this mare again con-, ceives by another sire the progeny will bear some impress or characteristic of the iirst stallion, the belief having arisen owing to cases where this was "apparently," but not "actually" what had occurred. For example, if a medium draught mare conceived in the first instance by a heavy draught stallion, threw a heavy draught foal, and was subsequently put to a light stallion and still threw a heavy draught foal the owner might presume that this seeming irregularity was due to the fact that the mare had been affected for breeding purposes by her first sire. This is the theory of "telegany," but it has absolutely no scientific foundation.

The cause of the apparent—not real—resemblance is rightly attributable, not to "telegany" but to atavism or "throwing back" to some previous ancestor or ancestress. This i_. where the peculiarly perplexing factor of heredity comes in, and it is a complicated subject upon which very little is definitely known. However, the experience of breeders and scientists has shewn that heredity occupies an important part in determining the characteristics oi successive progeny. The purer the j "blood" on both sides the more certainly can the characteristics of the stock be anticipated, so that in an old-established breed the type may be regarded as being "fixed." In other cases, where the type- is not definitely "fixed," atavism, or "throwing back" enters largely into calculation,so although seveftl generations may have elapsed, tto progeny may be biought forth showing "apparent" characteristics of a recent sire by which its dam has previously conceived, but which in "reality" are the characteristics of some far-away parentage which was of similar type to the unjustly accused recent sire. In other cases the characteristics may be such as are not possessed by either sire or dam or grandsire or giand-dam, which effects are rightly attributed to hereditary influences, but in the particular kind of case t.rder discussion n. mere coincidence is wrongly taken for established fact.

Dealing furthci with the factor of heredity, even laymen .are more or less aware of the principle upon which . Mendell's law is established, according to which progeny takes the impress of all of its previous ancestry, in inverse ratio to the distance any particular ftu'eparenls date back. This law, although not established aj an absolute scientific fact, because it has scientific flaws in it, nevertheless contains a considerable element °f truth, and must be taken into the reckoning.

From the foregoing it may be understood how a recent sire may be blamed for the reproduction of characteristics which should rightly be attributed to some far-off ancestry, which explodes the erroneous theory of "telegany."