COV^'S FOE THE DAIRY. 41 



spreads well at its entrance into the front of the udder ; 

 the teats are usually large, and well and squarely placed 

 on the udder ; the tail is long and slender, and the whole 

 form partakes of a wedge shape, and is well balanced and 

 pleasing. This description may be taken as applying 

 to any good cow, and when a yellow skin, fine coat, yel- 

 low ears, and a mellow soft feeling under the skin are 

 added, the whole indicate a cow which may be expected 

 to excel both for milk and butter. 



The color of the Jerseys varies from a light fawn 

 mixed with white iu patches, to a darker yellowish fawn 

 or a mouse color, With a black muzzle and an orange 

 colored ring around it. The tongue is also black in 

 many of them. AVhen this is the case the eyes, horns, 

 switch and hoofs are also black, making, with the tongue 

 and muzzle, the ^^full black points," which are consid- 

 ered by some Jersey breeders the sine qua non of an ex- 

 cellent animal of this breed. The dairyman, or the 

 owner of a family cow, will scarcely give much weight 

 to these points except for appearance, . and then only 

 when accompanied by the best milking character. 



Much has been said about the escutcheon as being an 

 indication of superior quality in cows. This may be 

 considered as a fancy more than a reality, except when 

 it accompanies the hereditary marks which are trans- 

 mitted from a cow or a bull to its calves, and is accom- 

 panied by all the other inherited good qualities. A good 

 cow, or a bull which is known to have sired good cows, 

 which has a well-shaped escutcheon and transmits it to 

 tlie calves, may be expected, along with it, to transmit to 

 the progeny all the other good qualities. It is not safe 

 to go further than this and depend wholly upon the es- 

 cutcheon alone, as some have done, and do, for a certifi- 

 cate of good character. The escutcheon is simply a re- 

 versed growth of the hair from the udder and inside 

 of the- thighs up to the rump ; and sometimes this 



