II Sept., 1911.] Tlic '' Escutcheon" : A Guide to Milking Merit. 587 



There are three lines of \ariation in milk production, viz., the quan- 

 tity of the daily yield; its (juality : and the length of time the flow is 

 sustained. When a cow is in full milk, her daily yield, and also its 

 t[uality, may be ascertained with fair accurac\- by a few days' trial ; but 

 how long she will continue in milk is a matter of no little uncertainty 

 to many. If .she is on sale as a stripper or a springer, the buyer has only 

 her appearance to guide him as to what sort of a milker she is ; and, to 

 most people, a cow at this stage is more or less a risky purchase. 



In arriving at an estimate of the value of any dairy stock one feature 

 that is of particular significance in regard to milk production is frequently 

 overlooked, viz., the " escutcheon.'" Not many people are acquainted with 

 the intricacies of this feature as indicating excellence in dairy cattle; and 

 there is no doubt that, if it were btttrr understood by dairymen, the know- 

 ledge would be of much service. To this end, .several photographs of 

 escutcheons are reproduced here ; and the description that accompanies them 

 will helj) to illustrate how the future milk ])roduction of a cow may be 

 approximately estimated, even while she is yet a heifer. 



These photographs are from stock on dairy farms in different parts of 

 the State. In se\tTal instances, the actual yields have been furnished by 

 the owners, and they are given here. Some interesting comparisons are 

 thus shown between the actual and the estimated yields ; and, while there 

 are some discrepancies between these, none are of such a nature as to raise 

 any question against the value of the system which they are intended to 

 illustrate, more especially when the conditions under which the cows are 

 working are considered. 



Where cows are dependent on pasture they will only milk up to their 

 full capacity if they are in the flush when the grass is at its best. In this 

 way, cows that are grazed are not always seen to best advantage, unless 

 on sown pasture. Very few of tho.se under notice get any feed other than 

 the natural grass; some get a little; none are fed so as to bring them up 

 to their full capacity. Those of one herd were at a big disadvantage this 

 past year through lieing trucked some distance to another farm, the change 

 I'ecessarily interfering with their yield. 



The term " escutcheon " is applied to that surface over which the hair 

 on the posterior surface^ of the udder and haunches grows upwards, and ui 

 ^ contrary direction to the down-growing hair on the rest of the animal's 

 body. The extent nl this surface varies greatly, in some cows, it covers 

 the whole of the inner haunch u|) close to the rump bones below the base 

 of the tail ; in others, it takes in only a portion of the udder ; while there 

 are innumerable variations between these extremes. More than eighty years 

 ago the theor\ was put forward that the possible (juantity, as well as the 

 term of continuitv of each cow's milk vield. could Ix' predicted from the 

 appearance ol lu r escutcheon ; and. wherever this theory has been 

 thoroughlv tested, it has proved to lie a|)proximately correct. 



Escutcheons ha\e been classed into ten main varieties, but .some of 

 these are only rarely met with. l-".ach variety is pcxssible of being divided 

 into .several sub-varieties or classes, which is done on ratio of size, as sub- 

 sequently de.scribed. Onlv four of these subdivisions are used here, as 

 these reach far enough for all practical jjurposes. The main varieties, as 

 named, will li»> best luiderstood by reference to the several photographs. 



nil urn. Fig. 20. 

 Horizontal, Figs. Ji. -i-' 



