156 Thirty-Sixth Annual Report of the 



night and day. During the day she gathers food and at night 

 she converts it into articles of cHct and usefulness for mankind. 



This wonderful, moving, living, hreathing, active piece of 

 mechanism, this general utility animal who has done so much 

 and received so little at our hands, she who has lifted the mort- 

 gages from so many homes and adorned them with all of the 

 beauties of mechanical art and added comforts that come only 

 with genius and wealth, is the peer of all animals. 



As our friend Marple of Missouri said "When we awake 

 in the morning, we behold the walls on which the plaster has been 

 held by her hair. We fasten our clothes with buttons, and we 

 comb our hair with a comb made from her horns. We put on 

 our feet a pair of shoes made from her skin, and as we enter 

 the dining room and sit down to a tempting breakfast, we find 

 she has provided us with a plate of butter, a piece of cheese, a 

 cup of milk, a pitcher of cream for our coffee, a plate of cream 

 biscuit, a smoking beefsteak, and for our dinner we have soup 

 made from her tail, delicious roast beef, pumpkin pie made with 

 her cream, sweetened with sugar that was whitened with her 

 blood and made out of pumpkins grown on land fertilized with 

 her bones, and yet we but half comprehend how valuable she is 

 to the human race." 



Some woman said "Man is what woman has made him." 

 Whether this is true or not, we can truly say the cow is what 

 man has made her through breeding, feeding and selecting. As 

 we trace her origin we finally go back to the wild cattle, or the 

 cattle in their native state. By inbreeding and selecting we have 

 at the present time many noted breeds of cattle. It would be 

 useless for me to attempt to tell you which one of these breeds 

 you should take, as this would be a good deal like selecting a 

 wife. It depends entirely upon what is desired. 



Study the noted breeds of the Jerseys and Guernseys and 

 we find their origin practically the same. Both, as far as is 

 known were bred from Normandy and Brittany stock. The 

 Normandy blood undoubtedly predominated in Guernseys. The 

 environment had much to do with their characteristics. These 

 Islands were not noted for the luxuriance of their native grasses. 

 The productiveness of the soil at the present time is largely due 

 to the number of cows constantly kept on the island. It is 

 estimated that one cow is kept for every acre of grass land. One 

 unchangeable law is, that cattle can be sold off the island, but none 

 can ever be brought in. This restriction is rigid so as to keep 

 the breed pure. The cattle are cared for mostly by women, con- 

 sequently, they are not subject to harsh treatment. The man 

 who is not especially adapted for dairying would undoubtedly 

 make a failure of this breed of cattle. 



