JAN 1 0 IQ 
BLACK NOSED GUERNSEY CATTLE. 
Should They Be Used? 
IIow often in the breeding of your herd do you find what 
is known as a black-nosed Guernsey? In some herds there 
are a fair proportion of these black noses. The style seems 
to he against them now, although we have no reason to be¬ 
lieve that these black-nosed animals are really inferior to 
the others. We would like to know how many of them you 
find in your herd during the course of a season, and whether 
you disqualify them entirely. Would you sell them for a 
lower price, and would you consider them just as good for 
heading a herd of grade cows? 
I get probably four per cent of black noses. The 
Guernsey Cattle Club has placed its seal of disapproval 
on black noses; of course that makes them unpopular, 
and they have to be sold for a sharp discount. I think the 
fad fancies are a great evil, but it is only a waste of time 
to oppose them, so we often have to do what our better 
judgment is against, and discard black-nosed Guernseys. 
New York. clayton c. tayi.or. 
Black noses on Guernsey cattle are not a sign of im¬ 
purity. It is but the cropping out of the characteristics 
of the little Black Brittany blood which was contributed 
to the foundation stock. The ideal colored nostril in a 
Guernsey is a buff or cream color. The scale of points 
gives but one point in 100 in females and 
22 A in 100 in males in favor of the buff 
nose. The proportion of black noses 
varies somewhat. Some strains or ani¬ 
mals seem to throw more than others. In 
my own herd, out of 22 calves last year 
only one was black-nosed, and he was 
vealed. I would not head a full-blood 
herd with a black-nosed bull, but he would 
do good work in a grade herd. I consider 
a black-nosed bull calf worth just a little 
more than veal prices. On the other hand, 
while I would prefer a buff-nosed female 
and consider her of somewhat higher mar¬ 
ket value, 1 would not throw aside a good 
cow because she had a black nose. I 
would be care' d to breed her to a buff- 
nosed bull, and one whose parents were 
strong in this respect. The ideal Guernsey 
nose is buff. It is always wise to have 
an ideal and strive for it: that ideal should 
always be a high one. It does not follow, 
however, but what some worthy dairy ani¬ 
mals fall short in this respect. The dairy 
utility standpoint is one thing, but when 
coupled with good qualities as a breeder it is another. 
Sec. Guernsey Cattle Club. wm. it. caldwell. 
1 very seldom have black-nosed Guernsey calves, but 
one last year, and that because of a sire I bought 
in the West. My heifers have always had buff noses 
except when I used the Mainstay blood. Some calves’ 
noses are cloudy or smoky, which passes away as they 
grow older. 'It is a fancy point only, yet their value is 
lessened because of it. Lilylita had a black nose, but 
because of her record sold for $2,000. Farmers desiring 
to grade up a herd do wisely in getting the best blood 
cheap because of black noses. I have known black¬ 
nosed bulls and cows that always produced buff-nosed 
calves. Among the early stock imported by the Biddles 
of Philadelphia were Guernseys that were black and 
white in color, so black noses, brindles or shades of 
black are no indication that the animals are not purely 
bred. There is no breed of cattle that has for a longer 
tune been purely bred than the Guernseys in their native 
island, and there you yet find these off colors. They were 
bred carefully with the idea of producing animals that 
would give a good lot of yellow milk, rich in fat, with 
no thought of color until recent years. To-day Guernsey 
butter sells for more than any other butter in England 
and on the Island of Guernsey, because with that yellow 
color comes a nutty flavor that no other butter has. 
New Jersey. E . T . gill. 
It was very seldom that we ever had a black nose 
among our Guernsey cattle. The foundation of our herd 
came direct from the Island of Guernsey, and had the 
desired buff nose, and the percentage of black noses was 
extremely small. We always aimed to get rid of the 
black-nosed cattle, and never bred them, as in a show 
ring, other things being equal, the buff-nosed ones would 
win, but as far as richness of the individual was con¬ 
cerned perhaps there would be no difference. As far as 
heading a herd of grade Guernseys is concerned, if a 
man was going in for milk alone, and did not care for 
anything else, we think the black-nosed ones would be 
just as good, but in purebred stock we were always 
opposed to them. c. w. howker. 
Massachusetts. 
My foundation cows were by a bull known to have 
sired a number of animals with black noses. He proved 
to be the sire of a number of excellent animals, and I 
find none of the calves now dropped on my place have 
black noses. But a few have mottled noses, nearly all 
of which wears awa£ when they become older. T should 
be very sorry to disqualify them entirely. There are 
too many excellent cows of all breeds, and also of the 
Guernseys, to disqualify them on account of the color 
of the nose. I have sold them for a lower price, al¬ 
though I consider them just as good for a herd of grade 
cows. I he farmer, or even a breeder who meets a 
good animal in other essentials, would, I think, do better 
to purchase him than to discard him on account of his 
black nose. I think the yellow color of the skin is of 
far more importance than the white nose, and I think 
that Guernsey breeders would do well to hold the yellow 
color of the skin, the yellow to be found inside of the 
ear, on the tip of tail and horns, even if with it went a 
mottled or dark nose. m. d. Cunningham. 
Wisconsin. 
We have had quite a good many black-nosed Guern¬ 
seys, though I am not now breeding purebreds. I am 
well aware that these black noses are considered dis¬ 
qualifications, though it should not be so, as often they 
are the best animals in the herd. Buyers will not as 
a rule pay as much for black-nosed Guernseys, and it is 
best to breed towards light noses, and be particular to 
observe this in case of bull. For a grade herd, the 
nose does not figure at all, as given a light-nosed pure¬ 
bred Guernsey bull, breed him to grade or native cows, 
and black, slate and mottled noses are going to crop 
out repeatedly. wm. b. harvey. 
Pennsylvania. 
We have owned purebred Guernseys since 1883, and 
have had none with black noses. I would not keep a 
black-nosed bull, for the public has accepted a Guernsey 
with a buff nose and eyes, and it is better to have a type 
that is distinct. In regard to black-nosed cows being 
inferior, that depends on the individual animal, for good 
cows, like good horses, are any color. You asked if I 
considered a black-nosed bull a good one for grading up 
a herd. No; with a well-bred bull half-blood calves 
would, nine-tenths of them, have buff noses, or at least 
that is our experience. If I could not get a bull with a 
buff nose and could get a good black-nosed one should 
use him, for the Guernseys are the cows that come 
nearest to filling the bill for the dairy, where you want 
both quality and quantity. We have tried Holstein, 
purebred and grade; Jersey, purebred and grade, and 
grade Ayrshire; grade Guernseys and cross-bred Jerseys 
and Guernseys. The Guernsey and Jersey grades are 
fine, being next to purebred, the first and second crosses 
looking most like purebred Guernseys. We keep just 
the purebred Guernseys now, and have 17 head in all. 
If I had black-nosed cows of superior quality I should 
not dispose of them for inferior ones with buff noses, for 
with my experience with grade cattle I think you could 
breed it out in two generations. e. s. thomas. 
Connecticut. 
I think that one in every 10 or 15 of 
the Guernseys of our breeding have black 
noses, while some of the others have them 
somewhat clouded. I think that too much 
attention has been paid to the black noses, 
and we are now raising two black-nosed 
heifers that we expect to give a perma¬ 
nent place in our herd, if they prove good 
otherwise. Tt is universally admitted that 
the buff nose is handsomer, or rather adds 
to the beauty of the animal, and the 
breeder should aim to eliminate the black 
nose by breeding to bulls that have light 
noses, and that come from buff-nosed an¬ 
cestors. I here are plenty of such bulls 
at this time, that also come from ancestors 
all right as producers and otherwise. In 
1899 we sold to some Michigan parties a 
bull that had a black nose and was dark 
brown, shading to black, in color, but 
nicely marked with white. A letter re¬ 
ceived from them this week says they have 
a fine herd of young cows from him, and 
85 cows now in calf to him, and speak 
very highly of his daughters as milkers. 
I hey now want another bull, caring little for color, and 
much for his backing of producing ancestors. This is 
as it should be, and the dairyman should let the breeder 
take care of the fancy points. I think it will be possible 
largely to eliminate the black noses from the breed with¬ 
out in any way impairing in the meantime the increase of 
their dairy ability, but would advise the dairyman to 
pay but little attention to the matter. You ask if we 
sell black-nosed bulls for a lower price. We do, often, 
for a large part of our trade is for high-class bulls from 
breeders, and if we have a bull so well bred that he 
would bring $200 from a breeder if he had a buff nose, 
but born with a black nose, we would have to take $75 
to $125 for him, and sell him to a dairyman. Few of 
the latter class pay over $150 for a bull. 
Wisconsin. Charles l. hill. 
MAKING CEMENT POSTS 
The item of fence posts has become an important con¬ 
sideration on many farms, where the timber supply has 
been exhausted. In many places it is almost impossible 
to go out and buy posts at anything like reasonable fig- 
rues. So we see on farms here and there an attempt 
made to use substitutes for the wood post, such as steel, 
stone and cement. Iron and steel posts do not seem to 
be practical on account of their short life, as well as 
cost. Stone posts come high, unless it is convenient to 
GUERNSEY BULL BLUE BLOOD NO. 6310. Fig. 17. 
See Page 42. 
