196 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



from taking hold of it. In his later issues Guenon simpli- 

 fied it very much, making more distinct classes, and redu- 

 cing the number of orders, and giving a separate treatise 

 on bulls. In order to simplify it much more, I have pre- 

 pared a Handbook, and with so many illustrations, as to 

 enable any intelligent man to become master of it in thirty 

 days. It is published in cheap form to advance the knowl- 

 edge of a system so beneficial to every purchaser of a cow. 

 It is forwarded free by mail to any one who remits me fifty 

 cents for the work. It contains also the complete report of 

 the Pennsylvania Commission, which shows the comparative 

 statements of the owner and the Commission, neither know- 

 ing what the other said about the cows until they were 

 handed in for publication. 



In 1878-79 tins Commission acted under the orders of Gov. 

 Hartranft of Pennsylvania, to test the system, and whether 

 its reliability would recommend it for popular use. Their 

 report of the examination of two hundred cows of various 

 breeds shows a successful statement of their qualities to 

 about ninety per cent. The mode of proceeding was to ex- 

 amine the cow, and make notes of her points as to quantity, 

 quality, and time, of milking. This was independent of the 

 owner ; and the record was kept by the secretary. A similar 

 statement from the owner, who knew, of course, exactly 

 what his cows would do, and generally made beforehand, was 

 afterward handed to the secretary of the Commission, who 

 transcribed the two statements ready for publication in par- 

 allel columns : these statements were then placed with the 

 originals before the owners, who compared them, and certified 

 to their correctness as originally taken down, and they were 

 ready for publication. This plan prevented any collusion, 

 or any chance of altering to assimilate the two statements. 

 The examinations were made only by the escutcheons ; and 

 no statements were allowed to be made by any one to the 

 Commission, until after their judgment and record had been 

 made. Some of the cows were blanketed, so that nothing 

 more was shown than is to be seen in the engravings illus- 

 trating this article ; this was done in the presence of a 

 committee appointed for the purpose of seeing whether the 

 Commission did examine only by the escutcheon ; though 

 that was asking more of even experts than Guenon claims 



