42 GuENON ON MiLCH Cows. 



C. L. SHARPLESS ON THE ESCUTCHEON. 



We extract from our book on "The Jersey, Guernse}', and AHerney 

 Cow," some remarks on the escutcheon, by Charles L. Sharpless, of Phila- 

 delphia. We consider him one of the best judges, a most intelligent 

 breeder, and he has paid the highest price ever given for a Jersey cow in 

 this country. The portraits of Duchess, Rosa, Black Bess, Tiberia, and 

 the bull, Comet of M., bear out our assertion. 



" There is no point in judging a cow so little understood as the escutch- 

 eon. The conclusion of almost every one is, that her escutcheon is good, 

 if there be a broad band of uprunning hair from the udder to the vulva, 

 and around it — see Fig. 1. These cows, with the broad vertical escutch- 

 eon, are nearly alwaj's parallel cows; that Is, with bodies long, but not 

 large, and with the under line parallel with the back. Their thighs are 

 thin, and the thigh escutcheon shows on the inside of the thigh, rather 

 than on its rear. 



" Next comes the wedge-shaped cow, with the body shorter, but very 

 large, deep in the flank, and very capacious. This form does not usually 

 exhibit the broad vertical escutcheon, running up to the vulva, but with 

 a broader tliigh may exhibit a thigh escutcheon, which is preferable to the 

 other, thus — see Fig. 2. 



" In both vertical and thigh mirrors, where the hair runs down, intrud- 

 ing on the udder, (as low as above the dotted lines,) as in Figs. 3 and 4, it 

 damages the escutcheon. If you find a cow with the hair all running down, 

 and between the thighs — that is, with no up-running hair — stamp her as a 

 cipher for milk-yielding., 



" The artist has made the udders to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 the same size, while 

 in reality they will vary according to the escutcheon. 



" There are times when the udder of a cow, with an escutcheon like Fig. 

 4, will be enlarged by non-milking, for the purpose of deception. It is 

 always safer to judge by the escutcheon, rather than by the large size of 

 the udder. 



" The escutcheons of the best cows — those yielding the most and con- 

 tinuing the longest — will be found to be those which conform to Fig. 2. 

 I Mr. fe. alludes to the selvage : one of the best, and common among the 

 best cows. H.] 



" The vertical escutcheon of Fig. 1, would not injure it; but if that or- 

 namental feature has to be at the expense of the thigh escutcheon. Fig. 2 

 is best as it is. 



" Wlienever an escutcheon is accompanied by a curl on each hind-quar- 

 ter of the udder, it indicates a yield of the highest order. * * * 



" So far we have noticed only the rear escutcheon, or that which rep- 

 resents the two hind-quarters of the udder. The two front-quarters are 

 just as important, and should be capacious, and run well forward under 

 the body — see A. If the udder, in front, be concave, or cut up as in B, 

 indicating small capacity, it represents reduced yield. 



This front or level escutcheon is distinctly marked in the young heifer 

 or bull, and can be seen by laying the animal on its back. The udder 

 hair under the body all runs backward, commencing at the forward line 

 of the cscutclieon — see dotted lines in Figs. (>, 7, 8. Tiiis dividing line is 

 very perceptible, from the fact that the hair in front of it all runs forward 

 towards the head of the animal, while the escutcheon, or udder hair, all 

 runs backward over the forward quarters of the udder, around and beyond 



