GuenorCs System of Selecting Cows hy the Escutcheon. 475 
the inward merits of the animal. Not because the shape of it 
is different on one animal from that on another, not because it 
is a cause, but that it is an effect of cause, and where you find 
the cause jou will find the effect. Thus, I have never seen a 
cow with a first-class escutcheon that was a poor cow, nor have 
I ever seen a cow with a poor escutcheon that was a good one, 
especially when it was unaccompanied by a majority of the 
other points always found with a good escutcheon. You may 
then ask what object is gained by learning about the escutcheons 
if the other points show the animal's true character ; and I may 
ask why eat a full meal instead of a partial one? Your judg- 
ment may be wrong as to whether it will last you until you get 
another one ; or if impecunious, you were offered a hatful of 
gold, and you took out two or three coins instead of a handful, 
would it be wise? 
I have generally found they who denounced Guenon's system 
had not studied it, and in many cases they could not even tell 
the names of the different escutcheons, and certainly did not 
know Guenon judged by ten points instead of one. 
GuENOis's Classification. 
In the last revised edition of Guenon's book he revised the 
whole system, simplifying and improving it. He classifies the 
various shapes of the escutcheons into TEN CLASSES. Each one 
of these ten classes has SIX OEDEES.* Each class represents a 
gradual reduction in the quantity given, and each order repre- 
sents a gradual reduction in the time : so that a cow of the 
first class and first order will represent a very much larger 
escutcheon of the Flanders shape, and a larger number of quarts, 
and a longer time for milking than the first class and sixth 
order. And the first class, first order, will give twenty quarts, 
and milk nine months ; while the cow of tenth class and sixth 
order will only give three quarts and milk three months. The 
one is most valuable, while the other is utterly worthless. If 
the system enables the purchaser to pick out the one, and to 
discard the other, it will need no one to praise it to him. 
Guenon thus made the perfect shape the representative 
escutcheon of its class ; and just so much as it varies from that, 
and gets smaller, just so fast does it descend in the orders of that 
class. Suppose i\ie first order of every class should represent 
one hundred, then the next size smaller in that class may be 
represented by ninety, the next by eighty, and the fourth order 
* It will probably aid the reader to comprehend the classification by r6,";arding 
the term " Class '' to refer to the shape of the escutcheon, and the term " Order " 
to refer to its size. (See Figs. 1-12, pp. 478-484.) — Edit. 
2 I 2 
