220 MILCH CATTLE THE JERSEY 



Jersey cows which are entered for the butter-test classes have 

 considerably smaller udders than the cows which are presented 

 in the inspection classes." (7) Great strength of constitution 

 is required in a cow that gives a weight of milk equal to her 

 own weight in sixteen to eighteen days, and is able to give a 

 weight of butter-fat equal to half her own weight in one 

 year. (8) There are families who are uncertain breeders, and 

 are not suitable for Foundation Stock in a herd. (9) Some 

 families bear a very small proportion of heifers among their 

 calves. (10) It is necessary, in holding the record position, 

 to keep all the very good cows and all the best calves, to 

 increase the chances of producing something phenomenal and 

 to decrease the possibilities of reversion to inferior types of 

 milkers, (i i) It is fatal to follow the practice of many breeders 

 and overfeed the calves, or " not to dilute the milk sufficiently 

 in feeding the quite young stock." (12) In many cases 

 milking cows are kept too poor. Then cows of good pedigree 

 either " have to give less than their full record, or to waste 

 themselves until they are hardly on the border-line of good 

 health " ; but, on the other hand, cowmen are apt to overfeed 

 cows going in for butter-tests ; so that they do not give such 

 good results as are got from them at home. ( 1 3) The greatest 

 milkers and noted prize-winners have the greatest vital force, 

 as shown by a cow producing 3500 Ibs. of butter in seven con- 

 secutive years ; by gold-medal winners producing twelve to 

 fourteen calves ; and by cows appearing in the winning lists at 

 first-class competitions for six successive years. Even a more 

 striking illustration of this fact may be given in Captain Smith 

 Neill's brindled cow, of mixed Channel Islands blood (Plate 

 LXXVI.), which at twenty-four years of age won the 1st prize 

 for butter at the London Dairy Show in 1906 for the third 

 time in succession, in the class for cross breeds (see p. 230). 



The following description of four of Dr Watney's noted 

 cows (Plate LXXIII.), given us by the owner, is an interesting 

 record of the milking powers of the Jersey breed of cattle, 

 which, at the same time, gives concrete proof of many of the 

 thirteen deductions from breeding experiences which have 

 been culled from Dr Watney's statements. The photograph 

 was taken from life in the year 1903 : 



"'Red Maple' was calved in 1896. Living and won 



