Show I FARM ANIMALS BLACK COLOR IS HEREDITARY Feeding and Management of Sheep Have Nothing to Do With Appearance Appearance Appearance Ap Ap- Ap- Ap of Black Lambs Prepared by the United States Stales Department of ot Agriculture The appearance of black lambs In to toa Ina a flock made up entirely of white sheep has been for ages and Is still a cause for wonder and the basis o of superstitions But Dut the study of the laws of ot breeding and heredity has explained explained explained ex ex- the reasons for the sporadic appearance of these off color spec mens In a letter to a farmer who r reported ported 25 black lambs from a flock of purebred ewes al allwhite all white and who considered certain feeds feed's the th c cause s the United States Department of Agriculture gives a clear statement o of the principles In In- Feeding and management of sheep says Dr Sewall Wright specialist In animal genetics have ha nothing to do doI with the appearance of black lambs The black color Is hereditary even though It may be transmitted by ordinary ordinary or or- Y white sheep The black color colorIn In such a case is what Is called a recessive character White sheep which transmit this character at al nIl all trans transmit black In 00 GO per cent of their reproductive cells ceUs ova o In the case o of ewes cues and spermatozoa In the case o of rams and white In the remaining 50 per vel cent Thus such white sheep mated with blacks which can only transmit black produce 50 O per cent black lambs and 50 per cent white whIle All of oC these white lambs can transmit transmit trans trans- mit mt black White sheep which transmit only white mated with blacks produce only white lambs but all nU of ot these lambs can transmit black When both ewe and ram mm are arc white but both transmit black about 25 per cent o othe of the lambs are black 50 W per cent are white which transmit black while the remaining 25 23 per cent are true- true 4 E p k 3 rS a t Ij Ir l lA A Sheep breeding whites In this case It Is Isan Isan Isan an even e chance that a n given ghen ovum will transmit black and an even chance that It will be fertilized by a amale amale amale male cell which transmits black malt malt- lag one chance In four that both transmit black which is necessary for the production of a black lamb With 2 25 23 black lambs appearing In Inthe Inthe Inthe the flock fiock It Is Indicated that about of ot the 11 ewes transmit black assuming that all of the rams used transmit tJ it It If not all nIl the rams transmit this color then it is probable probable probable able that an even cven larger number of ewes cues transmit It D Department of ot Agriculture Bulletin 00 Principles of Live Stock c BreedIng BreedIng Breeding Breed- Breed Ing contains a n detailed discussion of this problem It may be obtained from the superintendent of public documents government printing office office of ot- fice Washington 1 D. D C C. for tor 15 cents |