THE JERSEYS, ALDBRNEY8 ANT* GUERNSEYS 689 



**The lengtli of time during which milk is given corresponds with the 

 activity of the organs which supply it. Cows which give most milk a 

 day, also give it the longest ; and hence, if no special mark is perceived., 

 we can judge much of the duration of milk by the marks which deter- 

 mine its quantity. It may therefore be accepted that as a rule an 

 abundant milker may be expected to give a long continued flow of milk," 



In illustration of what Prof. Magne says of milk mirrors in all breeds^ 

 we give an illustration of a wonderful milk mirror on a Holstein cow 

 corresponding to the best escutcheon of Mr. Guenon, which he namef? 

 the Flanders, and which as is well known is one of the Dutch breeds. 



XVI. Mr. Sharpless' Opinion. 



Mr. Charles L. Sharpless of Pennsylvania, a careful breeder of Jersey 

 cattle, and a close observer in relation to milk mirrors, holds the fbl- 

 lowing : 



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 bxoad band of up-runnhig hair from ti-e udder to the vulva, 

 and around it. These cows with the broad vertical escutcheon are nearly 

 always parallel -^ows ; that is, with bodies long but not large, and with 

 the under line parallel with the back. Their thighs arj 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 vertical escutcheon running up to the vulva, but with a broader 

 thigh may exhibit a thigh escutcheon, which is preferable to the other; 

 see Fig. 2. — Milk Mirrors of Jersey Cows, on the next page. 



In both vertical and thigh mirrors, where the hair runs down, intruding 

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

 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 — stam?? 

 her as a cipher for yielding milk. 



There are times when the udder of a cow with an escutcheon like I'lg 

 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 o^ 

 the udder. 



The escutcheons of the best cows — those yielding the most ^nd con- 

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



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

 mental feature has to be at the expense of the high escutcheon, Fig. 2 

 :8 best as it is. 



Whenevei" an escutcheon is accompanied by u curl on each hind-qnartej 

 of the udder, it indicates a yield o^ the highest order. 



