Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-07-31
BREEDS AND GRADES.

" Woll~pOsteu StoOA heinott HAis ""i' ~
Thorp, Of Morristown, and we this week
make room for his reply, believing it will be
of much interest not only to our enquiring
correspondent but to all our readers. Mr..
T. says:
herewith try to answer the questions Of
your Addison County correspondent;
/; what is a1rade 2 In Webster's and
Worcester's dictionaries l do not find the
word with definition such as we use in re-
lation to the crosses between the different
breeds Of cattle, but suppose il to be gen.
orally understood that It means the offspring
from breeding two blooded animals together,
taking its degree of grade from the nearness
or degree Of blood that is in it from one or
both of its parents. Thus suppose Dur
ham to be mated with Jersey, the offspring
might be called grade Durham or q grade
Jersey, with equal propriety. But If that
offspring were mated again with Durham
the result would be a grade Durham on the
other hand if it were mated with Jersey
the offspring would be called grade Jersey.
Admitting the name to be commonly used l
think it is lily adapted to convey the mean
ing for which we use it. 1t would be far
better to say 1-2, IA, l-S, l-16 blood Dur
ham or other breed, as the case might be.
2; describe Jersey and tell US how they
differ from Alderney or Ayrshire. The two
former differ only 10 name Of location the
breed is precisely the same. How or what
they spring from l am not informed, but
about the time they first attracted notice
they were bred on the island Of Jersey, from
whence they found their way to Alderney, an
island a few miles distant, and at the pres
emit time they are bred more numerously
there than at any other place. The general
complexion of a Jersey COW is small, ILL
shapen, inferior animal with variation of
color that is noticeable in no other breed, it
being sometimes nearly black with buff or
grey nose, strip the length Of the back, the
inside of the legs, and underneath the belly
being the same color sometimes fawn or
squirrel color, at other times entirely yellow
or red, both with some spots or patches of
white and still at other times she is consider.
ably speckled with white, light red, and
brown spots. Her shape is what many
would call homely, having very small, spin
ding legs, face long, and crumpled horns,
with very clear, expressive, prominent eye,
and standing in front Of her she appears very
narrow from the breast, large paunch, and
light hind quarters udder well shaped and
good large teats compared with the size Of
the COW. They are noted for giving rich
milk but not large quantity; very high
colored and waxy butter.
Some breeders have gone SO far as to say
that thoroughly good bred animal must
have a particularly colOred nose, tongue
switch of tail, hoot, &C., all Of which l claim
to be of no account, and certainly Of no ma
terial consequence in their usefulness for the
dairy. know Of no popularity of the breed
on one island different from that on the other
1t is precisely thl same as Durham is q
Durham, whether bred in Kentucky or Yer
mont And still with her homely shape
there is symmetrical beauty about the Jer
sey that there is in no other breed Of cattle
and which is descernibls to but few.
The Ayrshire COW is a native Of Scotland
being bred in the neighborhood Of the river
Ayr, on the southwestern coast, lying oil
the Firth of Glide. The Ayshires are I
well established breed at the present day
1t is thought that they have been improves
by judicious selection of the native stOcI
for ages. BY others it is thought they are
u cross between the Durham and Jersey, bu
think this is erroneous, as l see no resem
blance or any Of those we'll marked charac
teristcs which characterize either Of thu
two breeds without it be the size, aud tina
would be about medium between the two
Her size is very much larger than the Jersey
The prevailing color is light red with som
white specks, with sometimes dark brown o
brindled stripes, at other times almost whit
with rather large round red or brown spot
dispersed over the body. Their legs ar
rather short neck rather long, and sma
where it joins the head. They have thin
light fore quarters. The body gradually in
creases in size till the hind parts becom
large and well developed. The udder
large and capaciOus. Teats are general
short but set wide apart, giving quite
large quantity of milk but not 80 rich
quality for the making of butter as for tn
manufacture of cheese.
3;are Attorney, Jersey, and Ayrshire di
tinct breeds Most assuredly the two fo
mer are one and the same breed, as show
abve. The latter, Ayrshire, is a distin'
breed as almost all their characteristics al
diffeSent, and if | thought anything wantin
to convince your correspondent Of the trut
of it, might say as one more proof that II
males of the Jerseys are almost always GRO
and vicious, while the malesof the Ayrshire
are very seldom cross and generally Of
mild disposition.
A; how do Hereford, Holstein, Dcvol
and Durham differ in color and other point
The Hereford is large breed, long, tall, an
quite bony, and when kept until having a
tanned their growth make large weights,
much 50 that there is considerable strife b
tween the breeders of the different bree'
to sec who shall show the heaviest OK
Smith6eld Market. England, every yea
for Christmas beef The color is almost j
variably red, with white face, under part
and ankles. Thew are not first class for Il