Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-02-12


First read at meeting Of the State Board OF Agri
culture. at Woodstock January Is, 1873, by o. NJ
TINKHAM of POmfret
In the English Channel north of the coast
of France lies a small group of islands gen
orally known as the Channel Islands OF
these, the largest is jersey, having an area
of about sixty square miles, with a surface
rough and broken by hill and valley, but
with general inclination from tle north
where the coast is rocky and precipit0us,
rising from two to four hundred feet above
the sea to the south and east where the coast
is smooth, and the valleys unite in fertile
plains nearly level with the water.
Here, on an island, whose shores are wash
ed by the gulf stream, with a climate like
that of sunny France, and richness of
heritage rivaIling the Emerald Isle, is the
native home of the cattle whose merits VIC
purpose briefly to discuss. Belonging to / he
same group are the islands of Guernsey aad
Attorney which give their respective names
to cattle originating there, and which, espe-
cially the Attorneys, were more commonly
met with formerly than now
A Massachusetts report says Ships trad
ing at the Channel Islands usually touch last
at Alderney, and are consequently reported
from there, and cows on board were so 70
ported, though coming really from Jersey
The same general characteristics were com
mon to all, though local peculiarities were
observable; the Guernseys being perhaps
larger and cOarser than those of southern
Jersey, while those of the north were still
smaller, finer and generally thought harder.
but by uniform system of careful breedin3
all Ocal peculiarities may be SAID to have
disappeared. and the breed to be one and iden-
tical, and known here as the Jerseys.
Ii seems from records that their value has
been known, and the Importance of keeping
the blood pure, been appreciated by the
Isande s from an early day. As long ago
as 1877 their legislature passed an act pro
hibItIng the Importation of cows, bulls, he'll
Grs or calves, with the penalty attached OF
forfeiture of vessel and tackle. fine Of 20C
livres (about 81 dollarsJ besides fine OF
fifty l'vres Tor each sailor on board wh1 did
not inform Of the attempt to import; more
over the animals so brought 10 should be
killed directly and the meat given to the
poor The act so modified as to permit the
importation of animals for slaughter only
still stands, and a recent writer from there
declares it to be strictly enforced, aud add,
that they will not for any price part witt
their choicest animals for export.
The Herd Book gives accounts showing the
Attorney to be in high reputc in EnganC
more than one hundred years ago.
Their importation to this country date
back nearly fifty years, and as before Tt
marked, were chiefly known as Adernevs
and the more widely distributed and the be-
ter known they become, the more are thei
merits appreciated as their constantly in
creasing price proves.
The Jersey COW Is of medium size, heaC
small and taperpg, muzzle fine ard cncircle(
with light stripe, horns small, smooth
crumpled, and tipped with black, eyes large
full and placid, ears small and thin, necI
thin and straight, chest broad and deep
body round and we'll ribbed up, hips bread
tail small and fine, skin deep yellow in color
mellow to the touch and covered with fin
silky hair The udder full in size, extend
ing we'll back and up, teats of medium size
squarely placed and wide apart, and mill
veins remarkably prominent. Very intclli
gent, quiet and docile in disposition. the
repay care and petting with confidence an
grateful affection. The objections one com
monty hears urged against the Jerseys are
that they are &C wild and vicious, il l0Okiu
and Inferior in size, or as | heard farme
say the other day, 6 little mean lookn
runts not bigger than goats" and f1aIl
that they can't be made beet Mr.. f. int
CScTeIdIy Ol IHe massachusetts DOdIu {
Agriculture, states as the general opin
ion here that the Jersey COW will not fatte
readily when old, nor furnish fair quantit
of beef of good quality.
Of the first objection it is probably tru
that by the proper, or rather improper treat
ment, any animal may be made wild if nc
vicious, and it is as certainly true that som
breeds are naturally more Sd than others.
have known the Jerseys for fifteen year;
and have always, without exception, foun
the cows remarkable for intelligence and dc
cility, not quarrels0me or spltetul, but quie
and gentle IN yard and pasture, and neve
knew one unruly about lence, and l neve
met an owner and breeder OF Jerseys VIII
did not fully sustain me in this opinion
them
The bulls are more liable to become reStiv
when two or three years old, and rerhap
half | have known have been cross, thous
my own and two OF three others | know
now have never shown a symptom of it.
There are people with whom the chief us
and aim and end of cattle breeding seem t
be beef, and bright red cattle. With suct
nothing could more fully ndemn a creatur
than to assert that it would not make beef.
When I have tried to trace these obieC
tions to SINE reliable source of authenticate
fact, have failed to find anything bette
than " everybody says so,'' '' UNIVERSAL
admitted or g there are good physiologic.
reasons why great milking race cannC
make beef" | can conceive of no physiC
logical reason why in an animal which s
thoroughly assimilates and converts the nj
triton in her food to produce so much and s
rich milk, when that outlet is closed I'll
product of the same process may not be d
verted from the production of milk to th
equally natural production of fish and fa
Theories and speculation are very we'll, bu
their Importance lessons when facts are
hand.
Colonel LIE Contour, the queens add
camp in Jersey, declares that the jersey
feed well, Iatten readily when dry, making
good quantity Of beef of superior qualit,
and mentions one old cow put up to fatte
in October and killed in January, weighir
when slaughtered 1880 pounds, making
gain of 205 pounds 10 90 days on feel
90 pounds of hay. 80 pounds of roots (ca
rote, sweeds, and mangold wurzels) and
little wheat straw per day. Mr.. ODE
WhIpple of Pomfret has slaughtered Col
siderably; says he has dressed two-year Of
half blood steers weighing Cos pounds, an
mentioned three-'ouIt this blood cow as Uni
king the best beef he ever ate. Mr.. Chest,
Lamberton sold pair of halt-blood steers
July after they were two years old whlC
dressed 668 pounds. A. G. Dewey, ESQ
one of same age which dressed over 4
pound4, neither Of which had ever been f
roots or grain. Dana Burbank and p
Strong both milkei grade COWS through tt
summer, which were iattened and killed,
think in December. Mr.. Burbank says b
COW fattened readily and made good beet, az
had quarter of Mr.. Strong, and actual
never ate better beef. My own experlenc
which has been confirmed by every breed
of Jerseys with whom | have conversed,
that they are good hearty feeders and wht
not in milk take on fat very readily. B.
there are other objections urged which | Ca