AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
FOR THE 
JTa/rm, GrarcLen, and. Household.. 
“AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHFUL, MOST USEFUL, ANI> MOST NOISLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN.”— Washington. 
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Entered according to Act of Congress, in October, 1S77, by the Orange Judd Company, at the Office of the Librarian cf Congress, at Washington. 
VOLUME XXXVI.—No. 11. NEW YORK, NOVEMBER, 1877. NEW SERIES—No. 370. 
GRADE JERSEY COW “UNIO N.” —Bred by ThomasYitch, New London, Conn. 
Occasionally we come across or hear of an extra 
good cow, and several such have been from time to 
time mentioned in the American Agriculturist. We 
shall be glad to hear of still others, and to receive 
photographs of them to place in our gallery of 
pictures of noteworthy animals. We have given 
numerous portraits of choice thoroughbred, herd 
book animals of different breeds, hut it by no 
means follows that all herd hook cows are choice 
ones, nor that all others are inferior. The best 
animals for common use, whether for milk, butter, 
or meat, are grades. But there could be no grades 
if it were not for pure bred stock; therefore, as 
every body cannot breed pure animals, the busi¬ 
ness must be divided, and a few must raise pure 
breds, to supply the majority with breeding animals 
for the production of grades. Whenever we come 
across an excellent grade, the merit of some choice 
pure bred is reflected, and if farmers would care¬ 
fully select their best cows and breed them to good 
pure bred bulls from richly milking dams, their 
product of butter might be greatly increased with¬ 
out any unreasonable cost, or at a very small ex¬ 
pense. Extra good cows are scarce and bring a 
high price for family use, and breeders who give 
their attention to the business cannot fail to be 
well rewarded for their enterprise. To be a success¬ 
ful breeder needs tact and experience, but for the 
encouragement of those young farmers who desire 
to excel in this way, we cite an example of a suc¬ 
cessful breeder of high milking grade family cows, 
and give a portrait of one of his animals. The 
breeder referred to is Mr. Thomas Fitch, of New 
London, Conn. Through a long and active life he 
has been engaged in breeding choice cows, both 
pure bred for breeders uses, and grades for family 
use. His experience is, therefore, very extensive. 
In sending the portrait reproduced above, which is 
of a grade Jersey and Ayrshire, he writes: “This 
cow has given 16 quarts of milk per day, and has 
made 111 lbs. of butter per week. The largest 
yield of milk and butter I ever knew of, was from 
such a grade, owned by me some years ago. She 
was “Lady Paterson,” lived more than 24years, had 
15 heifer calves in succession, and when 15 years 
old made 171 lbs. of butter in one week, besides 
supplying the milk and cream used in a large family. 
My rule is to select only the calves of the best 
milking cows, such as have quiet dispositions, and 
to cross them with the best Jersey bulls.” Mr. 
Fitch having long been in this business is always 
supplied with materials for his purpose, and few 
breeders have raised a larger number of valuable 
cows than he has. The results of his experience 
are, that for all practical purposes, whether on the 
farm, or in the dairy, or for the family, the grades 
are the most desirable for constitution, size, form 
of udder and teats, are most productive of milk, 
cream, and butter, and last but not least, they have 
beauty of appearance and gentleness of disposition. 
