332 CATTLE 



The prepotency of the Jersey is one of its striking character- 

 istics. Both form and color are transmitted from generation to 

 generation in a marked degree. In well-established herds, where 

 systematic breeding is attempted, one may find striking evidences 

 of this prepotency, notably in head, udder, and color. Used on 

 grade herds the Jersey bull impresses himself on his offspring to 

 such an extent that the herd takes on all the external evidence 

 of the pure-bred. 



The Jersey in crossing or grading may be used to great advan- 

 tage, at least in the latter way. There are many high-grade Jersey 

 herds in the country that are very profitable producers of butter 

 and milk. If bulls of proper breeding and individual merit are 

 used on native cows very superior dairy herds should results If 

 crossed with other breeds the Jersey should be used under con- 

 ditions that are not too violent as extremes. The author has seen 

 some very attractive examples of using a Dexter bull on Jersey cows, 

 in which small dairy cows of very milky character were produced. 



The Jersey as a beef producer is not worthy of serious consid- 

 eration. The meat is rich in quality and fine of grain but is too 

 yellow in fat coloring to suit butchers. Jersey steers will lay en 

 fiesh fairly well, but do not dress out well in slaughtering, having 

 more offal and internal fat than the distinctive beef breeds. In 

 a breed-feeding experiment for beef at the Michigan Agricul- 

 tural College the Jersey steer Roscoe at 1161 days weighed 1490 

 pounds (showing a daily gain of 1.28 pounds) and dressed out 

 59.4 per cent, compared with a Shorthorn which dressed out 

 66.8 per cent. Of six breeds tested the Jersey made the poorest 

 showing. Three Jersey steers fed by two experiment stations, as 

 reported by Henry in " Feeds and Feeding," showed an average 

 daily gain for 1058 days of 1.36 pounds per day, ranking ninth 

 among eleven breeds in daily gain, but standing last in per cent 

 of dressed weight. In a steer-feeding experiment conducted by 

 the Iowa Station with nine breeds, the valuation placed on the 

 Jersey carcass by Chicago experts was ^4.50 a hundred, the lowest 

 of the nine, the Hereford being ^6.62i. 



The Jersey as a producer of milk, under average conditions, 

 does not rank high. However, since official tests have become 

 common, we find many Jersey cows that have produced relatively 



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