1882.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
55 
The Jersey Cow “Leda,” and her Kindred. 
Startling ‘‘ improvements'' in the produce 
of animals come from decided crosses or out- 
crosses. A “ cross” is the pairing of animals 
of different breeds. When full-blood bulls are 
crossed with common or part-bred cows, the 
progeny are called “grades.” An out-cross 
is the pairing of ani¬ 
mals of different fam¬ 
ilies of the same breed, 
and may be more or 
less violent according 
to the characteristics 
of the families. An 
inferior, ordinary Jer¬ 
sey cow bred to a bull 
of her own family will 
produce, in all proba¬ 
bility, nothing of es¬ 
pecial merit, and very 
likely a calf less good 
than herself. If cross¬ 
ed with a bull of an 
entirely different fam¬ 
ily—though he may 
not be individually 
better than she, will 
probably produce a 
calf decidedly better 
than either sire or 
dam. The reason of 
this is that the best 
qualities of each fam¬ 
ily are likely to dis¬ 
play themselves in the iirst cross. Permanent 
improvement comes either from careful selec¬ 
tion and pairing animals of similar, strongly 
developed idiosincracies, or from close in- 
breeding. The latter is probably the quickest 
and most satisfactory in its results, but must 
be finally supplemented by the introduction 
of carefully selected out-crosses in which 
the most valuable characteristics have been 
developed and confirmed by in-breeding. 
The breeding of Jersey cows was conducted 
in the most haphazard way for many years 
in this country. English 
breeders were at the same 
time doing better; but 
after a while the experi¬ 
ence and breeding rules 
which have been observed 
in the development ol 
other breeds had their in¬ 
fluence, and a few Jersey 
breeders placed the public 
under lasting obligations 
to them by laying the 
foundation of the families 
of Jersey cattle which 
have since proved famous 
and of gread value. 
Chiefest among the Jer¬ 
seys is the Alphea Family, 
founded by Col. R. M. 
Hoe, and of this family 
“Leda,” and her dam 
“ Europa,” are the most 
famous individuals. The 
family is remarkable for 
having descended from a 
single pair, and even at 
the present time females 
may be found four and five generations 
removed from old “Rhea” (the mother of 
the family), in which there does not exist a 
single out-cross. “ Nymphea,” a grand¬ 
daughter of “Leda"offers a marked exam¬ 
ple of this kind of breeding, and so far as we 
are aware exhibits not the least weakness of 
constitution, and has yielded 15% pounds of 
butter in 7 days. 
The cow “Alphea” (171) gave her name to 
the family because she lived to a good age, 
had sons and daughters, and was probably the 
most remarkable Jersey cow that ever lived, 
all things considered, that is as to quantity 
of milk, and amount of butter which she 
produced, and potency in stamping her own 
characteristics upon her offspring. 
“Leda” (799), a beautiful engraving of 
whom we present, was dropped in January 
1869; making her 13 years old. Her color is 
solid dark gray, shading to black, with full 
black points. She was bought at the sale of 
the Brightside herd by Mr. Darling, of Dar¬ 
lington, and sold by him at auction last year, 
with others of his herd, where she was bought 
THE COTSWOLD EWE “ GELLETT’S BEAUTY.” 
by Mr. Simpson for $3,000, who at the time 
owned, as he still does, several of her im¬ 
mediate progeny and descendants, as well as 
her dam “Europa.” “Leda” herself has 
never won any special fame as a milk and 
butter cow, being eclipsed in Mr. Darling’s 
herd by her half-sister “ Eurotas.” Some of 
her daughters, however, are already famous. 
“ Clytemnestra,” and “Phaedra,” both by 
“Mercury” are noble cows, the latter espe¬ 
cially a deep milker and rich butter cow. 
Her daughter, “ Clytemnestra 2d,” is an 18- 
quart cow, also, but not tested for butter. 
“ Nymphea,” and an¬ 
other granddaughter 
of “Leda,” was test¬ 
ed after dropping her 
third calf, and the 
yield was found to be 
15% pounds of butter 
in one week. Thus it 
seems to be clear that 
the butter - yielding 
tendency of these 
cows has not been 
seriously weakened, if 
at all, by close breed¬ 
ing, and certainly 
their constitution does 
not seem to be im¬ 
paired, for • • Europa ” 
at 10, and ‘ ‘ Leda ” at 
13, have certainly not, 
by any means, reach¬ 
ed the end of their 
usefulness. The per¬ 
formances of some 
American cows are so 
far beyond those of the 
animals at home in 
Jersey, that an account of them is received by 
breeders there with “very extraordinary!” 
Cotswold Sheep. 
Cotswold Sheep were introduced to the 
special notice of American sheep breeder's 
by the importations of Erastus Corning, and 
of Win. H. Sotham, in the year 1840, and 
from the increase of these flocks, and many 
subsequent importations, they have become 
as well known as any of the improved breeds 
of sheep. The impetus 
given to the breeding of 
mutton sheep by Mr. Bake- 
well of Dishley, in Leices¬ 
tershire, through his won¬ 
derful improvement of 
the old Leicestershire 
sheep, and the establish¬ 
ment of the Dishley breed, 
as so far superior to all 
other long wool sheep of 
England, that the rams 
were used upon long-wool 
flocks of all sections, had 
of course its effect upon 
the Cotswolds—the breed 
native to Gloucestershire 
and vicinity. The firmer 
and quicker fattening 
Dishley rams greatly im¬ 
proved these hardy, large¬ 
framed sheep, and judici¬ 
ous breeding, with heed 
to the important lessons 
which Mr. Bakewell 
taught, have confirmed 
and established the breed 
in such a number of points of superiority, that 
it is hardly too much to say that it now stands 
pre-eminent among the long-wool breeds. 
The characteristics of the breed, when well 
developed, are a large size, with admirable 
