44 GuBNON ON Milch Cows. 



inside of the rump-bone at the setting-on of the tail. Let the teats be 

 well apart ; let them yield a full and free stream, and be large enough to 

 fill the hand without the necessity in milking of pulling them between the 

 thumb and forefingers. And let us ever keep in mind that the large yi elder 

 must be well fed." 



Those who condemn Jersey cows as small yielders of milk and butter, 

 should listen to the story of '' Rosa " as told by her owner, C. L. Sharpless. 

 She is five years old, is solid creamy fawn, and, combined with great vol- 

 ume and bone, she is neat in the head and neck, and with fine legs. Her 

 dam was a small mouse-colored cow, and her sire's dam a small fawn-col- 

 ored, neither of which would give over twelve quarts. 



" We found we were making a good deal of butter, and as ' Rosa ' looked 

 superbly, we determined to test her butter quality. We fed her per daj'- 

 twenty pounds of hay, eight quarts of meal, and four quarts of carrots. 

 The meal was a mixture of good wheat bran and cornmeal, in the propor- 

 tion of four bushels of the former to one bushel of the latter. Her yield 

 the first day was sixteen quarts, the second day fifteen and a half quarts, 

 the third day sixteen quarts, and the next morning eight quarts-, being in 

 all seven milkings, or half the week. Her milk was kept separate ; was 

 skimmed after standing thirty-six hours, and made six and three fourths 

 pounds of butter, or thirteen and a half pounds for the week, 



"As you place Rosa and Duchess side by side there are some points of 

 agreement and of difference that are of interest to notice. They are both 

 wedge-shaped, with large body — Duchess the more bonj', but Rosa with 

 the greater rear volume, (broader hips, &c.) They both have neat heads 

 and necks, and fine bone. Duchess is, in winter, smoke-color, with bril- 

 liant white, but not with black points. She has yellow hoofs and skin, 

 and her udder is rich yellow. Rosa has yellow hoofs, and yellow inside 

 her ears, but a pale skin and udder, and would be called a butter cow in- 

 ferior to Duchess, and yet she has just proved herself one half pound 

 greater. The color of it is the deepest — no coloring matter being used. 

 This upsets the theory that a yellow skin is essential for deep-colored 

 butter. Perhaps a safer way to put it is, that though a rich yellow skin 

 is evidence of butter quality, 3'et equally good quality may come from a 

 pale skin, provided the cow has yellow inside her ears. 



"Again, as to vertical or rear escutcheons both these cows exhibit, the 

 broad part diminishes as it rises, until, when within six to nine inches of the 

 vulva, it is reduced to the breadth of not over an inch wide. Thus they 

 agree in their rear escutcheons, and they agree also in udders of great ca- 

 pacity, these being deep and broad, and running well forward under the 

 body. 



"There is a point on which they differ. The hair on Duchess is soft and 

 furry as a mole ; that of Rosa is fairly fine, but still hair. 



' So that in a word one can say soft hair, a large escutcheon, and a yellow 

 skin are desirable, but there may be choice cows not conspicuous, for either. 



" To show how we sometimes let our best animals slip, I will add that 

 when Rosa was a heifer I was tempted to part with her for what seemed a 

 great price — $500. In about two weeks she had a heifer calf, for which 

 her owner was offered $150. When three years old she had a second 

 heifer, which he sold for $180 ; and when four years old she had a third 

 heifer calf, which he sold for $100. He then sold his place and all his 

 stock, and I bought her at public sale for $375 for her beauty. Her pale 

 skin deceived me as to her butter quality, and her, as I thought, deficient 



