430 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



aged. The matter of temperament in all 

 dairy cows may be said to be largely a 

 question of breeding and treatment. 



Much effort has been made in Amer- 

 ica to increase the milk yield of Jerseys 

 while maintaining its high fat content. 

 Jersey cows frequently give 3 to 4 gal- 

 lons a day, and many Jerseys produce 

 300 pounds or more of butter annually. 

 A few animals under careful test, have 

 yielded from 9,000 to nearly 17,000 

 pounds of milk in a year. The amount 

 of fat in the milk is usually from 4 to 

 5 per cent and sometimes higher. 



Guernseys — This breed originated in 

 another of the Channel Islands known 



tinct breed in this country. The head 

 of the Guernsey is long, the neck slen- 

 der the body large and deep and the 

 flanks thin. The color is light yellow 

 and orange or buff predominating, with 

 considerable white in patches on the 

 body and legs. Dark colors approach- 

 ing brown are seen on some cows and 

 more frequently on bulls. The muzzle 

 is most always buff or flesh color. The 

 horns are small, curved and waxy, often 

 showing a rich yellow at the base. One 

 of the distinguishing characteristics of 

 the Guernsey is the large secretion of 

 yellow coloring matter throughout the 

 skin, but especially where the hair is 



Fig. 277 — JERSEY CHAMPION AT ST LOUIS DAIRY DEMONSTRATION 



as the Island of Guernsey, and has prac- 

 tically the same origin and history as 

 the Jersey. In the development of the 

 Guernseys, however, more of the original 

 characteristics of the parent stock from 

 Normandy have been preserved. At 

 present, however, the Guernseys closely 

 resemble the Jerseys in their general 

 conformation and appearance. 



The Guernseys were first introduced 

 into the United States, in numbers, in 

 about 1850, being grouped together with 

 the Jerseys at that time under the name 

 of Alderneys. Between 1870 and 1S75 

 the Guernsey was recognized as a dis- 



white around the ears, eyes and udder. 

 The udder and teats are well shaped. 

 While the Guernsey is of a nervous tem- 

 perament, the cows are gentle under 

 proper management, and the bulls are 

 probably less likely to become vicious 

 than Jersey bulls. 



The Guernseys are economic feeders 

 and excellent butter producers, the milk 

 often showing from 5 to G per cent of 

 fat. They are especially recommended 

 by Alvord and others for butter cows 

 and for the production of market milk, 

 where quality secures a high price. They 

 show great power of assimilating feed 



