THE JERSEY COW A MONET MAKER. 121 



England, written in 1834. The various breeds of improved cattle 

 were then so numerous and local that even in a book of considerable 

 size, Youatt could devote but small space to each, but with the 

 characteristic English love for beef the Shorthorn received by far the 

 largest share of his attention. 



Taking the Jersey as our specialty let us not forget that we are 

 breeding a thoroughbred butter cow. How she became a thorough- 

 bred is a matter of histor}'. The origin of the race is, has, and 

 always will be shrouded in mystery Able writers have advanced 

 various theories, basing their opinion on conformation, color and 

 prominent markings, and thus connecting them with Brittany, Swiss, 

 Norman or other Old World breeds. Such theories are based on 

 the actualities of the present, and do not penetrate the antiquity of 

 •descent of our noble cow. 



The probabilities are that the Romans as the}- pushed their con- 

 quests towards northern Gaul carried with them a better race of 

 cattle than they found in the conquered country, and as the 

 inhabitants improved their condition, these cattle spread into Nor- 

 mandy, and thus became by their proximity to the Channel Islands 

 the immediate ancestors of the Jersey. 



It is evident that the inhabitants of the island at an early da}' 

 became aware that the}' were in possession of a type of cattle 

 especially adapted to their circumstances, and desired to protect it 

 from dissipation by an admixture with foreign blood, as attested by 

 the record that as long ago as 1789 very stringent penal laws were 

 passed to prevent the importation of cattle to the island. 



The Island of Jersey is eleven miles long from east to west, and five 

 and one-half miles wide,orabout the sizeof one and one-half, or two of 

 our average Maine townships. With deeply indented shores it still 

 forms an irregular square. The northern and western shores are 

 high and rugged ; the hills at some points reaching a height of four 

 hundred feet. From these hills the land gradually slopes to a 

 smooth beach along the eastern and southern shores. This con- 

 formation gives the whole Island a southern exposure, with the hills 

 sheltering it from the north and west winds. 



The proximity to the Gulf Stream renders the climate mild and 

 temperate — ''the heat never excessive nor yet the cold intense." 

 The eastern low lying ground is for the most part a rich loam, 

 while the hill lands of the north and west are generally more light 

 and sandy. 



