Thomas Lecky
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Thomas Phillip Lecky, known as T.P. Lecky (1904-1994), was a Jamaican scientist who developed several new breeds of
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
. Lecky is known as one of
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
's earliest environmentalists, and a strong advocate for conservation of hillsides. His research in cattle breeding led to the development of three breeds suited the tropical climate:
Jamaica Hope Jamaica Hope (also known as a Jersey-Zebu or Montgomery-Jersey) is a dairy breed of cattle originating from Hope Farm in Jamaica. Origins The breeding started in 1910, and was an attempt to develop an animal that was adjusted to the climate of ...
, Jamaica Red, and Jamaica Black. Jamaica Hope was the first breed of cattle indigenous to Jamaica. He is remembered as the Father of the Jamaican Dairy Industry.


Early life and education

Lecky was born on 31 December 1904, the twelfth of 13 children, and raised on a small farm in Swift River, in the Blue Mountains region in
Portland Parish Portland (), with its capital city, capital town Port Antonio, is a Parishes of Jamaica, parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica, St Thomas and to the east of Saint Mary Parish, ...
in the island of
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
."Thomas Phillip Lecky", ''National Library of Jamaica'' https://nlj.gov.jm/project/thomas-phillip-lecky-ph-d-o-b-e-o-m-1904-1994/ Retrieved 25 October 2020. Lecky received a scholarship to attend the Jamaica School of Agriculture at Hope Farm in Saint Andrew Parish. As a child, Lecky saw his father lose his banana crop as a result of hurricanes three years in a row. This inspired Lecky to research solutions to provide and improve the diet of his community and neighbours by developing the local breed of cattle for milk and beef production. At the Jamaica School of Agriculture the director of the government stock farm H.H. Cousins involved Lecky in testing European cattle breeds for their suitability to the Jamaican environment. Lecky went on to study agriculture and animal husbandry at
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
and
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in Canada. At university, he focused on researching acclimatizing European breeds to Jamaica's environment. He concluded that the answer was not an acclimatized European breed but a new breed, a completely adapted tropical breed.


Career and research

On returning to Jamaica in 1935 Lecky started to research his ideas by using lines of cattle and began to select bulls for breeding from the best producing cows in Jamaica. In 1949, Lecky gathered his documentation and travelled to the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
where he used this research as the basis for his doctorate. His dissertation, entitled "Genetic Improvement in Dairy Cattle in the Tropics" presented his ideas for developing a tropical dairy breed and catapulted him to international acclaim. Lecky wrote in his autobiography, ''Cattle and I'', that as someone with black blood, he struggled to gain acceptance in scientific circles in the
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, where key positions were given to white people, such as Cousins. It was only when the
British West Indian labour unrest of 1934-1939 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
took place, and the subsequent nationalist movement took hold in the 1940s, that he was finally appointed to a position of authority, that of breeding cattle at Hope Farm.''TP Lecky, Great Jamaican Scientist'' https://www.real-jamaica-vacations.com/jamaican-scientist.html Retrieved 25 October 2020.


Cattle breeds

In 1925, after graduating, Lecky worked for the government at Hope, where he assessed the new breeds of cattle being introduced to Jamaica and tested their reaction to local conditions. Lecky learned that the cattle in Jamaica at that time were not well suited to life on hillsides where many small farmers had holdings. He believed that all small farmers should have cattle because besides producing milk, every year a young animal could be sold to help pay for school fees. Lecky decided that what Jamaica needed was an animal that would produce enough milk for farmers as well as be light enough that they would move up and down steep hillsides. Cousins had advocated the use of cross-breeding, but when Lecky was appointed head of Hope Farm in 1942, he instead employed the practice of line breeding. He bred the
Jamaica Hope Jamaica Hope (also known as a Jersey-Zebu or Montgomery-Jersey) is a dairy breed of cattle originating from Hope Farm in Jamaica. Origins The breeding started in 1910, and was an attempt to develop an animal that was adjusted to the climate of ...
, Red, and Black cattle breeds, adapted for the local climate. The Jamaica Hope was a combination of the British Jersey cow with the Holstein and the Indian Sahiwal breed, and could produce up to an average of 12 litres of milk a day, three times that produced by other cattle on the island. Lecky's work revolutionized the Jamaican dairy industry, and scientists flocked to Jamaica to see his work. In 1952, Lecky had the Jamaica Hope registered and recognised. Lecky's work impacted on the development of cattle in many tropical countries.


Awards and honours

1959 -
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, for meritorious and devoted service to agriculture. 1970 -
Norman Manley Norman Washington Manley (4 July 1893 – 2 September 1969) was a Jamaican statesman who served as the first and only Premier of Jamaica. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s. Manley was an advocate o ...
Award for Excellence, first-ever recipient of the award. he was the best 1978 -
Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
, for service to the dairy and cattle industries of Jamaica.


References


Further reading

*Lecky, T.P. 1962. "The development of the Jamaica Hope as a tropical adopted dairy breed". ''U.N. Conference on the Application of Science and Technology for the benefit of the less developed areas''. Agenda Item C. 5.2, 18 p. *Lecky, T.P. 1996. ''Cattle and I: an autobiography'' (Kingston: Ian Randle). {{DEFAULTSORT:Lecky, Thomas Jamaican academics Agronomists 1904 births 1994 deaths 20th-century agronomists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Recipients of the Order of Merit (Jamaica) Officers of the Order of the British Empire