262 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 9 
THE “ S/G/VS ” OF A GOOD COW. 
WHAT HOES SHE LOOK LIKE ? 
The R. N.-Y. requests me to give its 
readers an article about cow “ signs,” 
and to tell by what rules and standards I 
am guided in selecting cows for the dairy 
when I purchase them, as I often do, of 
Brown, Smith. Jones, and Robinson. I 
do not profess to be an expert, but have 
had pretty fair “ luck ” in selecting good 
cows. An expert cow buyer is “im¬ 
pressed” by the appearance of a cow at 
first sight, and the after scoring does 
not often change the verdict. There is 
an appearance about a good cow that is 
a pretty perfect indicator of her worth, 
but it is about impossible to convey the 
information to another, and make it 
possible for another to put into practice 
this intuition, or first-sight impression. 
The first sight of a cow should impress 
the buyer with her conformity to what 
might be called symmetrical femininity. 
The cow is a mother, and the good 
cow, some way, in appearance carries 
with her the look of beneficence, as 
though she were willing to bestow upon 
some one, whether calf or owner, her 
life’s energy, which is, in her case. milk. 
The points of a good cow, and the 
signs by which we may know her, are a 
little complicated, as cows are, in fact, 
individuals, and have their peculiar 
makeups; so signs can be used only in a 
general way, as two cows doing equally 
well in milk production, will vary some¬ 
what in form, just as trotting horses 
with records less than 2:20 have their 
own individuality, while answering to a 
general description. Four points are of 
especial importance: A bony, lean but 
smallish head, with bright, prominent 
eyes ; a prominent and spiny backbone ; 
depth of bocy. and much width between 
the forward legs at the brisket, to de¬ 
note capacity and strong vitality, and an 
udder of long abdominal attachment 
from front to rear, and well balanced as 
to form. These points well developed, 
will govern largely the milk form of 
the cow. This should be well borne in 
mind that, to secure either profitable 
milk in a cow, speed in a horse, fine wool 
in a sheep, bacon in the hog, and eggs 
in a hen. this idea of getting an animal 
with little fat and much red meat and 
nerve power, must not be lost sight of. 
To secure them, angular wedge forms 
must be secured, and just as we broaden 
them out, square them up, and get the 
bloeky form, we get fat instead of milk, 
strength instead of speed in the horse, 
mutton and coarse wool in the sheep, 
lard in the hog, and a general-purpose 
fowl in the case of the hen. 
The making of milk is, while a mys¬ 
tery, largely controlled by brain, and so 
needs a bright, intelligent and slightly 
protruding eye to indicate it. It is a 
fact that a cow of dull eye and low intel¬ 
ligence rarely is a cow of large, or long 
producing power. She usually gives milk 
six months or so, and for the rest of the 
year “ boards ” with her owner at his 
expense. The strong, prominent back¬ 
bone, with well-developed vertebrae 
slightly falling below a straight line, 
and rising to a noticeable pelvic arch, 
are the signs of strong muscular and 
nerve development: wide hips, whirl- 
bone joints well apart, and thin but mus¬ 
cular thighs, indicate well-built mater¬ 
nal organs so essential in a cow of large 
powers. As a rule, the udder of a cow 
should be slightly fleshy, so that it will 
not collapse when milked out ; covered 
with a thin skin, soft and silky to the 
touch and very elastic, completes this 
sign. A body of large capacity, with 
sloping, sprung ribs and large and 
crooked milk veins, gives indication of 
capacity and digestive powers ; large 
heart girth, with sharp shoulders uniting 
at the top, tells of large heart, lungs 
and liver; the testimony of strong 
vitality, large blood flow, and machinery 
to propel, purify and elaborate. These 
are things closely allied to large and rich 
milk making. 
The dairy form is not a thing which is 
confined to breeds, as it is conspicuous 
in common-bred cattle as well. Some of 
the great cows of the country are desti¬ 
tute of “ blue blood ” ancestry, but 
answer well to the dairy form ; their only 
fault is that they have so much mixed 
blood in their veins, that they can only 
rarely transmit this one dairy quality 
they possess to their daughters, for they 
are in truth “ sports ” reverting back to 
some grandam of large powers. But if 
crossed with a sire of strong dairy hered¬ 
ity, they would be good foundation 
stock. It is not all “ signs ” in this mat¬ 
ter. Cows are often worthless with all 
the signs scoring up to the full 100. Cows 
are ruined by the thousands in their 
bringing up, through the care and feed¬ 
ing. Others are spoiled in the “ break¬ 
ing” and first year's feeding and atten¬ 
tion. All breeding produces some blanks, 
and thoroughbreds throw first-class 
scrubs very often. Cows that give much 
milk are, as a rule, much larger than 
cows giving very rich milk, but the gene¬ 
ral characteristics of bony, angular and 
muscular forms, are still in conspicuous 
evidence. Cow signs, modified by cir¬ 
cumstances and individuality, are prac¬ 
tically the same everywhere, and with 
all and no breeds. The true dairy cow 
carries no “baggage”; because of her 
beneficence, she is for ever giving. The 
bloeky, beefy types are so because of 
their miserhood, forever taking, but 
never giving back, until their bodies are 
quartered upon the block, joun GOULD. 
Ohio. 
Like Produces Like.—A t the recent meeting-of 
Holstein breeders, President Powell gave this il¬ 
lustration of breeding results: “The late Dr. 
Edward Harvey relates an interesting incident. 
During a professional visit at a farmhouse, he 
noticed a young drake with a single feather of 
the color of a breed of ducks formerly seen ia 
that neighborhood, but which had disappeared. 
He procured the drake, the only one in the flock 
showing any indication of this color, and a duck 
from the same brood—took them home aDd bred 
from them, and so on from their offspring, select¬ 
ing from time to time the birds showing the most 
of the desired color of feather, until he repro¬ 
duced the breed, possibly to some extent at the 
expense of the size, strength and vitality of the 
birds, but their color and characteristics as firm¬ 
ly fixed—and possibly more so tliau in the origin¬ 
als—as they had been formerly known in that 
section.” 
He also said : “ The male, as a rule, influences 
the extremities—the female the bodily formation. 
A forcible illustration of this is seen in crossing 
the horse and the donkey. The jack crossed with 
the mare produces the mule with the extremities, 
limbs, feet, head, ears, mane and tail, and even 
voice similar to those of the siie, but body of size 
and formation more nearly like the dam. But 
crossed the other way, stallion with the jenny, 
what do we get? The hinny, a small, pony-built 
animal, with limbs, feet, head, ears, mane and 
tail, even voice of the horse. On the same prin¬ 
ciple, to revert to the restoring of the breed of 
ducks by Dr. Harvey. I question whether he could 
have done so as readily had the single feather he 
discovered been on a duck instead of being on a 
drake.” 
How Are You 
This Spring? 
Tired, nervous ? 
Can’t get rested ? 
Tortured with boils, humors ? 
That is not strange. Impurities have been ac¬ 
cumulating in your blood during winter. This is 
the experience of most people. Therefore they 
take Hood’s Sarsaparilla to purify their blood 
in spring. Be sure to get Hood’s, because 
Hood’s Sarsaparilla 
Is America’s Greatest Medicine. $1; six for 15. 
Hood’s Pills cure all Liver Ills. 25 cents. 
D C" CT Q (Mirt,Fnilt*»< 
• v Ui Eii O (Ornamental, 
Shrubs, Vines, Hedging. <fcc. New 
Descriptive Catalogue free. 
THE WM. H. MOON CO., MORRISYILIE, PA. 
EVERGREENS I 
IOO 6 to 8 in., SI.00; choice of 32 packages. 
100 choice, transplanted, 2 feet, $10.00 pre¬ 
paid. Millions to offer: hardy varieties, 
11 sizes. ORNAMENTAL & FRUIT TREES.’ 
Shrubs, vines, etc. Catalogue prices, 
and 40 great bargains Sent FRE E. 
D. HILL, Evergreen Specalist, 
Local Agent*’Wanted. DUNDEE 111 
EVERGREENS 
Largest stock in Amer¬ 
ica, including 
Colorado Blue Spruce 
and Douglas Spruce 
of Colorado. 
Also, Ornamental, 
Shade and Forest Trees. 
Tree Seeds, Etc. 
K. DOUGLAS’ SONS 
Waukegan, Ill. 
Can supply 
Ours is the Most Complete iJLt-SSS 
Department Nursery I 
in thfl U to Street Trees at low 
inv wa wi | rates. We publish one of the leading Seed. Plant 
Tree Catalogues issued, which will be mailed 
free. Send for it now, it wid save you money. Try us, can refer you to cus¬ 
tomers in every state and territory in the Union. Forty-three years of square 
dealing has made us patrons and friends far and near. Have hundreds of car¬ 
loads of 
FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRURS, ROSES, PLANTS. 
We send by mail postpaid, Sfied8,Bnlbs,Plants,Roses,Sma]l Treos, Etc. Safe arrival 
and satisfaction guaranteed; larger by express or freight. 44 th year. 32 greenhouses. 1000 acres. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO., Box 553, Painesville, O. 
SHRUBS, FLOWERS AND FRUITS. 
Most complete General Collection in America. Three thousand 
varieties described in a 200-page (free) Catalogue. “THE 
LEADING NEW ENGLAND NURSERY.” 
JACOB W. MANNING, Reading, Mass. 
WWW! 
TREES-SHRUBS-ROSES 
The largest and most complete collections in America, including all desirable 
novelties. General Catalogue (168 pages) free. Every intending buyer should have 
it. “An indispensable catalogue."—Country Gentleman. 
ELLWANCER & BARRY, Mount Hope Nurseries, Rochester, N.Y. M 
TREES 
and especially all Fruit Trees, should be propagated with a view to 
Long Life and Productiveness. Our principle is correct and 
needs no defense, but if in doubt, will furnish proof. Well-guarded 
Parentage in propagation, results in sturdy, Vigorous Con- 
Stitution in all plant life. No “ job ” or “ bargain lots ”. Customers 
in cold regions witness to Constitutional Hardiness of our 
Trees. We only promise best values and freedom from disappointment. New Catalogue ready. 
Cayuga Nurseries. 
Established 1847. 
WILEY & CO., Cavuga, N. Y. 
“FRUITS OF WATER,” 
a new book, new methods, live ideas, up-to-date facts. 
How to grow largest, most beautiful fruit 
at small cost. Reduces fertilizer bills. Increases 
^ profits IOO to 700 per eent., based on experi¬ 
ence of a life of fruit culture. 1200 acres in fruits. Catalogue new peaches, Japan plums, chestnuts, small 
fruits, etc., free with this book to those who mention this paper and send name of one or more fruit growers. 
Address at once. J. 11. HALE, .South Glastonbury, Conn. 
A NEW NURSERY SONG. 
There’s no scale on our trees, and we're busy as bees, 
For our customers know a good thing; 
O, conic with the wise, and we’ll open your eyes, 
For we have the trees that will please’ 
They’re hardy they're healthy, they’ll sure make you wealthy. 
"Tis the way to be in it this spring. 
Our catalogue's free; shall we send it to thee? 
We are waiting to hear what you say, 
We’ve millions of berries, plums, peaches and cherries. 
But a wonderful change there'll soon be. 
For our old buyers stay, and trade cometh our way 
Steered by Rural to quite a degree. 
While men, lads and ladies, teams, steam cars and ferries. 
All hustle to help us, you see. 
THE BUTLER & JEWELL CO., CROMWELL, CONN. 
for BUSINESS TREES for BUSINESS FARMERS 
NURSERYMAN TO 
THE BUSINESS FARMER. 
HONEST TREES at HONEST PRICES, write to 
ROGERS, DANSVILLE, N.Y. 
50,000 Peach Trees 
FREE FROM DISEASE, for Fall and Spring. 
Crawford Early, Crawford Late, Stump, 
Triumph, Chair’s Choice, Smock, Mt. Rose, 
Oldmixon Free, Greensboro, Crosby. Hill’s 
Chili, Elberta, Sneed, Alexander, Champion, Globe, Beer’s Smock, Salway, Troth’s Early, Wheatland 
*— —-~ ~ -— LI- - 
and lots of others. CHEAP. Catalogue Free. 
ARTHUR J. COLLINS, Moorestown, N. J. 
i 
i Plants 
and Trees . 
PEACH TREES (75 varieties); STRAW¬ 
BERRY PLANTS (50 varieties); PLUM 
TREES (Japan and European); APPLE 
TREES (100,000); Pear, Quince, Apricot 
and Cherry Trees. BLACKBERRY 
PLANTS grown from root cuttings. 
Raspberry Plants —a full list of Black, 
Red,and Yellow kinds; also a full line 
of Nursery Stock of every kind. Illus¬ 
trated and Descriptive Catalogue free. 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON & CO., 
Village Nurseries, - Hightstown, N. J. 
JONATHAN APPLE 
The groat money-maker. 
PEACH TREES 
at wholesale or retail. Officially declared free 
from scale or injurious insects. Best stock 
grown. Strawberry Plants —63 varieties; all 
from new beds. Apple, Pear, Plum, and other 
stock. Send for new Catalogue to-day. 
HARRISON’S NURSERIES, Berlin, Md. 
Of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Grape Vines, 
Shrubs, Roses, etc. Prices reasonable. Send for 
free catalog. Over 150 acres in nursery. Established 
in 1869. Address THE GKO. A. SWEET NURSERY 
CO., Box 1005, Dansville, N. Y. 
DEAPli TDCEC * to 6 ft., at 2 c.; 3 to4ft.,at 
rcnun I nCCw H£c.; all \ yr., from bud, 
healthy and thrifty, no scale. Official certificate 
accompanies each shipment. Sample by express if 
wanted. Can ship any time. Trees kept dormant 
till May 10. R. S. JOHNSTON. Box 4, Stockley. Del 
TREES at very low prices. Apple, Pear, Plum, 
free. 
Quince and Cherry, 5c.; Peaches,3c. Cat. 
RELIANCE NURSERY, Box 10, Geneva. N. Y. 
Peach Trees 
buy without first seeing our catalogue. 
W M. PETERS. Wesley. Md. 
a specialty. Other 
Send for it. 
P each, Pear and Plum Trees; Raspberries. Black¬ 
berries, Strawberries; Ornamental Trees and 
Shrubs. Write me for special prices. 
C L YATES. Nurseryman. Rochester, N. Y. 
\\/„ DAY CASHeach WEEK the year round, if 
T T “ 1 /\ I you sell Stark Trees. Outfit free. 
STARK NURS1RY, LOUISIANA, MO., Stark, Mo.. Rockport, III., Dansville. N. Y 
Fruit, Forest, 
Ornamental, 
Evergreen 
SHRUBBERY, ROSES, GRAPE VINES, 
Small Fruits, California Privet, etc. 
The above-named Trees we grow in large 
quantities, and have a full assortment of 
fine healthy Trees to offer in large or small 
quantities. All free from “San Jos 6 Scale.” 
Send for our free Catalogue of 64 pages 
ADDRESS 
Stephen Hoyt’s Sons 
NEW CANAAN CONN. 
Peach for $15; 500, $ 8 ; frt. prepaid 
■ II HI 1 to any station east of Mississippi 
■ 8 J River. Nice, healthy, well-rooted 
7 light two to three feet trees. A 
full stock of best varieties of Strawberry and other 
Small Fruit plants. Peach, Pear, Plum and other 
fruit trees at wholesale prices. No scale. Jersey 
Yellow and Red Sweet Potato Seed; No. 1 stock; $3 
per barrel of three bushels each. Address 
CHAS. BLACK, Hightstown. N. J 
DCAPU TDCCC~ Flue > health y stock at low 
rCAUn I need prices. Berry Plants and 
General Nursery Stock. Send list of wants for an 
estimate. JOSIAH A. ROBERTS, Malvern, Pa. 
nr t nil pill TIIQC just Issued by the West 
iLnUll UULI URL) Jersey Nursery Co., con¬ 
tains tull Information on the subject of Peach Grow¬ 
ing, gives the best and most reliable information In 
regard to the Yellows. How to plant, cultivate, fer¬ 
tilize and market the crop. Gives full description of 
over 40 varieties. No one growing a dozen trees can 
afford to be without this work. Price 50c. Sent post¬ 
paid to It. N.-Y. readers for 8 2-cent stamps. 
WEST JERSEY NURSERY CO., Bridgeton, N. J. 
