1880 .] 
183 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
The Famous Jersey Cow “Alphea.” 
The credit and fame of breeding such a cow as 
“ Alphea ” the daughter of “ Saturn ” and “Rhea” 
ought, we think, to be about as great a satisfaction 
as to be the producer of that miracle of mechanical 
art and automatic performance; the Hoe Press. 
There are few of our readers, who do not know 
something of “Alphea” ; all such, and others not 
ful feature, as shown, indicates full capac¬ 
ity for effective work. She was, as might be 
supposed, a good feeder; no cow can give milk 
in such quantity and of such quality as hers with¬ 
out an abundance of food and ability to digest it. 
“Alphea’s” milk and butter record depend entirely 
upon the testimony of Mr. Geo. W. Harris, who 
was Superintendent of “Brightside”—Co). Hoe’s 
beautiful residence and farm in Morrisania, now 
ter was in no instance less than 3 lbs. This would 
make the yield 44bs. a day while she was giving 24 
quarts of milk, which, it requires very little calcu¬ 
lation to see,is the remarkable total of 28 lbs. a week. 
This has never been claimed—-the writer of the 
articles entitled “Among the Farmers ” claimed 22 
to 24 lbs. per week, “ Hark Comstock ” claims 25, 
but we see no reason why the old cow should not 
have the full meed of her wonderful record, and be 
THE MOTHER OF THE ALPHEA FAMILY OF JERSEYS, “ALPHEA” (171). 
less, will be interested in the beautiful portrait, 
from an instantaneous photograph by Schreiber & 
Sons, of Philadelphia, which we present herewith. 
“Alphea” was a beauty, regarded either from a 
purely aesthetical standpoint, or from the more 
practical one of “handsome is that handsome does.” 
Of still more importance her qualities did not die 
with her, when in her full prime she sickened and 
died of an inflammatory disease in no way con¬ 
nected with her extraordinary milk and butter pro¬ 
duction, but they live in her descendants to whom 
she imparted to a greater or less degree both vigor 
of constitution, and a butter-yielding ability. 
41 Alphea ” herself came from the crossing of two 
animals of similar characteristics, imported by 
Col. R. M. Hoe, of New York and Morrisania, N. Y., 
and inherited a most excellent constitution. She 
was of a color called solid dark fawn with black 
points—that is, brown of various shades running 
into nearly black and shading off into light French 
gray, changing also somewhat with the season of 
the year. As may be seen from the engraving, she 
had the characteristic wedge-form of the best 
milch-cows, light in front and heavy, inclining 
almost to coarseness, behind. Her head was del¬ 
icate and the horns light, and incurved, yet the 
muzzle was broad, and this important and use¬ 
within the limits of the City of New York. During 
the greater part of the seaeon through which the 
tests extended, Col. Hoe was in Europe, hence the 
matter was left entirely to Mr. Harris. This was 
in the year 1868, and in a recent article in the 
“Country Gentleman,” by “Hark Comstock,” it 
is stated that Mr. Harris’ reasons for not himself 
publishing the extraordinary record were that the 
tests were not made in the usual way, and special 
explanations would need to be made. His explana¬ 
tion is entirely satisfactory to any one who knows 
either Mr. Harris or Col. Hoe, who gives Mr. H. 
his confidence, and leave no doubt on the record. 
A statement of the yield was made in the October 
number of last year, page 381, which, we believe, 
was the first publication of the facts. Doubt was 
cast upon the statement in certain quarters, but 
the most rigid scrutiny, as made by the author of 
the article in the “ Country Gentleman,” confirms 
the statement then made. There seems to be no 
doubt that “Alphea” during this season yielded 
from 24 quarts of milk a day when fresh, down to 
20 and 18 and less, while these tests were being 
made. The churn in which the milk was churned, 
and the whole milk was used every time, held 
conveniently 18 quarts, and this amount well aver¬ 
aged was churned every time, and the yield of but¬ 
set down as loading the World of dairy cows, with 
the astonishing record of 28 lbs. of butter per week. i 
“ Alphea ” bred to her own brother, “ Jupiter 93,” 
produced a line of fine looking, good-constitutioned 
cows and bulls which have been rather closely bred 
together, with now and then a promising out-cross. 
Among the Farmers—No. 52. 
BT ONE OF THEM. 
“More Nice than "Wise.” 
Cau one be “ more nice than wise” about milk ? 
There is a satisfaction in being very particular, and 
fastidiously nice and neat in personal habits, about 
what one eats and drinks, and all that, but we con 
carry the thing too far for our own comfort, and for 
those around us. One of my neighbors will buy no 
article of food a second time, at a store where the 
salesman wets the finger in the mouth to pick up 
the wrapping paper more easily. He is shocked at 
the idea of carrying off another human being’s sal¬ 
iva ; and yet my friend will sit in a crowded rail-car 
or room, and breathe the vital air second-handed, 
by the hour.—While it is well not to be too nice 
about some things, in the matter of milk, I think 
there is the highest wisdom in extreme niceness. 
