38 BOAUD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



Opinions differ widely as to tlie comparative merits of this 

 race, and its adaptation to our climate and circumstances, and 

 the wants of our farmers. The most common decision, prevail- 

 ing among many, oven of the best judges of stock, is, that how- 

 ever desirable they may be on the lawn or in a gentleman's 

 park, they are wholly unsuited to the general wants of the prac- 

 tical farmer. This may or may not be the case. If the farmer 

 keeps a dairy farm and sells only milk, the quantity of which, and 

 not the quality, is his chief care, he can satisfy himself better 

 with some other breed. If otherwise situated, if he devotes his 

 time to the making of butter for the supply of customers who 

 are willing to pay for a good article, he may very properly con- 

 sider whether a few Jerseys or an infusion of Jersey blood may 

 not be desirable. 



The Jersey race is supposed to be derived originally from Nor- 

 mandy,, in the northern part of France. The cows have been 

 long celebrated for the production of very rich milk and cream, 

 but till within a quarter of a century, they were comparatively 

 coarse, ugly and ill-shaped. Improvements have been very 

 marked, but the animal is still very far from satifying the eye 

 of a breeder. The head of the pure Jersey is fine and tapering, 

 the cheek small, the throat clean, the muzzle fine and encircled 

 with a light stripe, the nostril high and open ; the horns smooth, 

 crumpled, not very thick at the base, tapering, and tipt with 

 black ; ears small and thin, deep orange color inside ; eyes full 

 and placid, neck straight and fine, chest broad and deep, barrel 

 hooped, broad and deep, well ribbed up ; back straight from the 

 withers to the hip, and from the top of the hip to the setting on 

 of the tail ; tail fine, at right angles with the back, and hanging 

 down to the hocks ; skin thin, light color and mellow, covered 

 with fine soft hair ; fore legs short, straight and fine below the 

 knee, arm swelhng and full above ; hind quarters long and 

 well filled; hind legs short and straight below the hocks, with 

 bones rather fine, squarely placed, and not too close together ; 

 hoofs small ; udder full in size, in line with the belly, extending 

 well up behind ; teats of medium size, s(|uarely placed and wide 

 apart, and milk veins very prominent. The color is generally 

 cream or yellow, with more or less white, and the fine head and 

 neck give the cows and heifers a fawn-like appearance, and 

 make them objects of attraction in the park ; but the narrow 



