!' 50 



TREATISE ON MILCH COWS. 



production of milk can be judged of with equal certainty. In corroboration of this, he caused us 

 to notice the same signs upon Calves three or four months old, and- also upon Bulls destined for 

 the next covering season. The cowherds stated that the Calves which had been assigned by him 

 to the first orders were from Cows that gave a great deal of milk. Upon two splendid Bulls, of 

 the fine breed of Salers, which were of the same age, and exactly alike in hair and size, M. Giie- 

 non passed very different judgments: the one he pronounced good, and assigned to the first ordej 

 of his Flanders class; the other he- pronounced bad, and assigned to the fiftii order of his Hori- 

 zontal class* He justified these judgments by very precise comparisons, and made us remark 

 the difierence that existed in the signs of the two animals. 



This day, the 26th of May, M. Gu6non has made new experiments at the Cattle Fair of the town 

 of Aurillac, in presence of several members of the Central Agricultural Society and of the Sub- 

 Societies, and of a great number of land-owners and agriculturists of Cantal and the neighboring 

 Departments. The following is the manner in which your Committee have thought proper to 

 proceed. Each Cow was examined separately by M. Guenon, who wrote his notes upon her, 

 and delivered the paper, closed, to one of us. Immediately after, another member of the Commit- 

 tee questioned the owner of the Cow, or the person in charge of her, in regard to her daily yield 

 of milk, its quality, and the time during which she continued to give milk after being got with 

 calf. The answers were taken down in writing, and then compared with the notes wiitten by 

 M. Guenon. They were generally found to accord, and proved, to the satisfaction of your Com- 

 mittee and of every one present — all of whom attended with lively interest to these proceedings — 

 that M. Guenon possesses great sagacity in judging of Cattle, and that his method rests upon a 

 sure foundation. 



An incident occurred to confirm us in this opinion. A farmer played the trick of bringing up 

 for examination a Cow that had already been examined and pronounced upon. The notes wri^ 

 ten by M. Guenon on this occasion arcorded exactly, in every respect, with those he had written 

 on the former. 



The method of M. Guinon has not the merit of being a brilliant theory. It rests upon facts and 

 long experience. It is only aft:er repeated trials, and twenty-five years of toilsome reseai'ches, 

 that its author has accomplished the task of establishing it. 



We are of opinion, Gentlemen, that M. Guenon ought to be encouraged by you in the publica- 

 tion of a system which appears to us destined to exercise a happy influence on the advancement 

 of one of th6 most important branches of rural economy. What immense advantages may there 

 not result, particulai-ly in Auvergne, where the raising of Cattle and the manufacture of cheese 

 constitute the chief branch of industry, fi*om a method which should enable us to distinguish, in a 

 sure way, between good and bad Cows? By applying this system to Calves and to Bulls, our 

 stock would rapidly be raised to a high point of excellence, and we should soon have in our 

 mountains none but Cow^s of the best kind. 



In view of all these considerations, your Committee have the honor to propose — 

 1st. That there he awarded to M. Guinon a gold medal, with the effigy oj Olivier de Serres. 

 2d. That he he •proclaimed a Corresponding member of the Society. 



3d. To subscribe for twenty-five copies of his work, for distribution among the Stib- Societies 

 of the department. 



4th. To cause this Report to be inserted in the Agricultural Propagatur, and to transmit 

 a copy to all the Prefects and Agricultural Societies of France. 



[SignedJ COUKT SAIGNES, 



G. DE LALAUBIE, 

 GENERAL BARON HUGONET, 

 V. DE PRUINES, Reporter of the CommUtM. 



Note. — At the e&vae sitting, the recommendations of the Committee were adopted by the Central Societj 

 of Agricultiire of Cantal. 



With this highly flattering testimony in hand, I now come forward to publish 

 the result of my silent meditations and toilsome studies. Every one will be able, 

 with the aid of the lithographic drawings attached to the wor^, readily to recog- 

 nize the distinctive marks of the animal examined by him. These marks are 

 visible upon the posterior part of every Cow, in the space embraced between the 



* See the n,ames of the several classes, in the chapter On the different kinds ef Cows, 





