398 AMERICAN CATTLE. 



Thus, we see, that Mr. Magne dissents from much of the fan- 

 ciful science of Guenon. 



. To the oppoisite, somewhat, let us hear Mr. Haxton. "He 

 had examined many hundreds of dairy cows in Britain, and the 

 conclusion arrived at, in regard to M. Guenon's test of judging 

 of the milking propertes of a cow by the development of the 

 escutcheon, is, that in a large majority of cases it is borne out 

 by facts. In a London dairy, where about four hundred cows 

 are kept, and nine-tenths of them above average milkers, the 

 upward growth of the hair on the posterior part of the udder, 

 thighs, and twist, was too remarkable to be accounted fully 

 accidental causes." 



In another stock of forty cows — a very fine one — ^the results 

 were in favor of the Guenon theory, although some very con- 

 tradictory cases were found, the signs proving exactly the other 

 way, even among the same classes, or breeds of cows. 



In another.herd, composed of different breeds, there was little 

 or no uniformity in the escutcheon marks, even among the best 

 milkers of either breed. Some escutcheons were largely devel- 

 oped, others not — the latter milking equally well. 



Another herd, of "very fine Ayrshires," had all sorts of devel- 

 opment in their escutcheons, yet were all good milkers. 



On the whole, Mr. Haxton, in his investigations, decides in 

 favor of M. Guenon's system, believing that in a majority of 

 cases the best milkers will show the highest developed escutch- 

 eons, which, possibly, may prove to be the fact. Still, were we 

 to select a good dairy cow, the escutcheon would be only one, 

 and about the last mark we should rely on, looking more to the 

 other, and decidedly certain indications enumerated in the previ- 

 ous parts of this chapter. To fortify this remark, we have now 

 a family cow of our own breeding, half Short-hom and half 

 Devon in blood, which we have milked twelve years. She has 

 bred many calves, never missing a singlo year, and frequently 



