1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



209 



GUENC N ON MILCH COWS. 



We have 1 erctofore noticed the work of M. 

 GuENON in relation to testing milch cows by cer- 

 tain appearances of the hair commencing at the 

 udder and runnii.g up the tliighs. Having a good 

 deal of confidence in this mode of ascertaining the 

 milking properties of cows, both from our own ex- 

 perience and the opinions of other observing per- 

 sons, we have thought the matter of sufficient im- 

 portance to procure an engraving, and give such 

 other brief illustrations as would make the subject 

 clear to the reader. 



While the subject is before us, we find the Ed- 

 itor of the Germariioiun Telegraph has been giving 

 it attention, and we avail ourselves of his labors, 

 mainly agreeing with him in the value and impor- 

 tance of the system. He says, "sometime ago, at 

 a meeting of the Philadelphia Society for Promot- 

 ing Agriculture, Mr. John Nefflin, an elderly, 

 respectable and intelligent farmer from Germany, 

 was introduced, for the purpose of enlisting the 

 attention of the society to Gcenon's method of in- 

 creasing the yield of the milch cow, by selecting 

 the proper animals for the dairy, according to his 

 method, or rather discovery. Mr. Nefflin desired 

 that a committee should be appointed to test this 

 system, as he was satisfied that all that was need- 

 ed to impress the members of the society and the 

 farming public with its truthfulness and impor- 

 tance, was a trial, or many trials, inasmuch as he 

 had never known the tests to fail, after many years 

 of observation and experiments. 



The Society, always anxious to promote the in- 

 terests of agriculture, even at heavy pecuniary ex- 

 pense, when the object seems to warrant it, at 

 once appointed a committee to investigate the 

 matter — though several members had previously 

 been strongly impressed with the truth of the sys- 

 tem — consisting of Dr. Elwyn, George Blight, 

 Isaac Newton, John Wilkinson, Samuel Williams, 

 and Samuel C. Ford. 



The committee, after the trials had taken place, 

 say in their report : 



"More than forty cows were examined by Mr. 

 Nefflin, in the presence of members of the com- 

 mittee. All the remarks of Mr. N., all the ques- 

 tions and answers, were taken down at the mo- 

 ment by Mr. Arthur Cannon, phonographic re- 

 porter ; and all his statements were compared 

 with those of the owners of the cows ; and after 

 a full and particular investigation, carried on in 

 the most searching manner, and sharpened by 

 incredulity, the committee have no hesitation in 

 giving their adhesion, and expressing their con- 

 currence in the views of Guenon. The precision 

 and accuracy with which Mr. Nefflin described 

 the qualities of the animals, and the unh sitating 

 manner in which he revealed all their pr iperties, 

 could not but impress the committee with an en-. 

 tire reliance on his own skill, and a perfect confi- 

 dence in the views of his teacher." 



The stock of Mr. Ford having been examined 

 and their qualities described, Mr. F. certifies that 

 "it is a correct report of the qualities of his co™"- 

 Mr. Wilkinson also certifies as to his stock 

 amined and described in the same mannej 

 follows : 



