468 Guenons System of Selecting Cows hy the Escutcheon. 
matters to enable the judge to estimate the true value of the 
animal. 
We may summarize these points of judgment thus: 1. The 
skin. 2. The hair. 3. The conformation. 4. The age. 
5. The period of gestation. 6. Tlie health. 7. The feed. 
8. The breed. 9. The size. 10. The escutcheon. 
Until he had become acquainted with these matters he would 
not undertake to say how much milk a cow would give ; how 
long she would give it, nor of what quality. When he did 
know these points, his judgment was infallible, as numerous 
public tests he made proved, and as the testimony given by 
committees of all the leading agricultural societies of his country 
declared and testified. 
1. Tlie Shin, he said, must be fairly thin, mellow, oleaginous, 
and of a rich nankeen or golden colour, particularly about the 
udder. If it was such, the unctuous character of it would be 
indicated by a dandruff, which, when exuded, would dry, and 
could be rubbed off. The skin is one of the best tests, both in 
the feel or handling and the colour. A truly rich animal, no 
matter of what breed, will show on the inside of the ears, around 
the eyes and the muzzle, on the protuberances under the lower 
jaw, inside of the thighs, back of the shoulder, and at the root 
of the tail, as well as at the end of it, a rich golden colour ; and 
if there is any white hair on the top of the shoulders, over the 
loins, or on the connecting skin between the leg and the body, 
it may readily be seen by lifting the hair. With all this 
mellowness and colour can readily be perceived the cause of it, 
upon handling the animal, viz. : The rich unctuous fat exuding 
through the pores, which will make the hands feel greasy, or as 
if they had been handling soap. The skin of the udder will be 
found soft and thin, much like the feeling of a fine kid glove ; 
it will not be drawn tight over the contents of the udder, but be 
loose and wrinkled, indicating a capability of stretching with 
the increased contents of the udder when full. Beware of a cow 
with a white, thick, unpliable skin, with coarse, harsh hair, 
particularly on the back of the udder. Such white skins are 
usually free of any rich dandruff. If the milk is plenty, it will 
be thin, blue, serous. 
2. The Hair. — As a rule, the hair should be soft and fine. 
Guenon's rule is, the hair must be short, soft, silky, or furry. 
The same unctuousness that mellows the hide will soften the 
hair, for the follicles will be filled with fatty particles and be 
absorbed by the hair, which will soften it. Generally, where 
this is the case, there will be but little hair upon the udder, and 
that very short. The best butter-cows will have very short thin 
hair. Those cows that have long, harsh, wiry hair, will usually 
