STOCK. 161 



knowledge possessed by each of the subjects committed to 

 them, and nothing of the standard by which each would form 

 his opinion. Two herds, of about twenty each, were sub- 

 mitted, from each of which live worthy animals were to be 

 selected for the first premium in the list, and one of these 

 two selections was to be awarded the premium. Now, might 

 it not be reasonably expected that very diverse opinions 

 would be entertained by these gentlemen of the diflerent ani- 

 mals in these herds, as to their value for quarts of milk and 

 pounds of butter, and the difficulty be the greater in propor- 

 tion to the thoroughness of the breeding or the careful selec- 

 tion of the herds, in the absence of any recognized standard 

 of excellence or scale of established points ? 



There are in Jersey cows certain physical conformations 

 which are decided indications of good quality, and as to 

 which there is general agreement, although experts differ in 

 their estimate of their importance ; and there are some feat- 

 ures highly regarded by some persons and disregarded by 

 others* Now, if a committee were governed in tbeir selec- 

 tions, to some extent, by points recognized by all, the labor 

 might be much facilitated. 



And again, in the matter of pedigree, your rule is that ani- 

 mals admitted are to be recognized by the committee as thor- 

 oughl)reds ; but shall a committee of experts give the first 

 premium for a cow, which,in their judgment, is one-sixteenth 

 or thirty-second Ayrshire ? She may be a superior cow and 

 deserving of a premium, but she is not a Jersey, and a com- 

 mittee should not be compelled to endorse the fraud. 



Now, in the judgment of your committee, every society 

 should adopt a scale of points, not numerous nor difficult to 

 distinguish, but indicative of the leading prominent character- 

 istics and features of a good Jersey bull or cow, so that the 

 award of a premium will be of some value beyond the amount 

 of money paid. The pedigree of all animals should be accessi- 

 ble to the committee, and a history of each animal for some 

 period of time during the past year be given the committee, 

 if required. The animals should be placed at the exhibition 

 so that they can be viewed at all points, front as well as rear, 

 and there should be an area into which they could be led so as 

 to compare them side by side. 



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