Milking and Butter-Test Trials. 



301 



and examine the cows which had won honours, he would be 

 struck at once by the shapes of the animals. He would find 

 that the characteristics of the butcher's beast were wanting, and 

 that the cows were all more or less wedge-shaped. He would 

 notice many other attributes which cannot be gone into 

 thoroughly here, differentiating the milk and butter cow from 

 the beef animal, such as size and shape of the udder, touch, 

 and other peculiarities. 



If he further noted the lactation points, and compared them 

 with the animals to which they were respectively allotted, he 

 would learn the value of the " Escutcheon " theory, so little 

 understood and, consequently, so much underestimated. 



If he studied the butter ratio figures, singled out the low ones, 

 and then "handled" the particular cows, he would appreciate 

 the difference in touch between a poor and a rich milker, and by 

 comparing the weights of milk with the yields of butter, he 

 would further satisfy himself of the truth of the old rule — the 

 larger the quantity, the poorer the quality of milk. 



But as comparatively few people can get to the shows where 

 these trials are held, and, even when they do, cannot give the 

 time necessary to make the comparisons suggested above, one 

 must see whether, by looking at the recorded figures of the trials 

 and the pedigrees in the Herd Books, some information cannot 

 be elicited. And, first, it must be remembered that the real 

 object of these trials is to improve the milking and butter-pro- 

 ducing properties of dairy cattle. Pedigree, therefore, is essen- 

 tial, but, unfortunately, with the exception of the Channel Islands 

 cattle, the entries of registered cows have been of such recent 

 date that instances illustrating what can be done by careful 

 breeding in these particulars are very few. 



With the Jerseys there is no such difficulty, but as the Herd 

 Book records are easily obtainable, one example will suffice. 

 This will show that " like produces like " on both the sire's and 

 dam's side. 



Jersey cow, tested in 1901, gave 2 lb. ioh oz. butter, 104 days 

 in milk ; her dam, tested in 1898, gave 1 lb. 15J oz. butter, 153 

 days in milk ; her grand dam, tested in 1898, gave 2 lb. 5f oz. 

 butter, no days in milk ; her great grand dam, tested in 189Q, 

 gave 2 lb. 8J oz. butter. 



