Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-08-10
GRADE Jerseys FOR FARMERS.

Mr.. Thomas Fitch, New London,
Conn, writes as follows ip the Amer
ican Agracatltatrast: ''My experience for
many years in breeding Jersey stock
and crossing thoroughbreds with other
breeds, may interest some of your
readers, particularly the dairymen with,
%hom butter-making is the principal
business My first purchase of Jerseys
was made from the Importation and
breeding of the hate John A. Taintor,
of Hartford, Conn, who was, | think.
the first to visit the islands in the
British Channel. and to select in person
and import into this State herd of
Jerseys. He was remarkably fortunate
in his selections; for few if any of the
latter importations, down to the present
time, have equalled Or even approached
the quality of his stock, for form,
beauty, or the production of milk
cream and butter. Solid colors and
black points, squirrel grays or silver
grays, light fawns OF dark fawns. or
other fashionable marks or colors. had
then as little to do with the real value
of jersey COW as they have today, or
as the dark and light complexion has
to do with an Anglo Saxon's brains.
A good Jersey COW. thoroughbred and
well bred at that, one that gave twelve
quarts of milk per day on common food
(not steamed) and made twelve pounds
OF butter per week, sold then for about
one hundred dollars.
l have bred many thoroughbred
Jerseys, and hundreds of grades, but
comparatively few of my thorougbreds
have given more than twelve quarts of
milk per day, and have the credit of
breeding some of the most celebrated
mixers and butter makers now in this
country, among them the following
well-known names: Palestine third,
Maggie Mitchell, Fleetfoot, Flora, Buff
and more than l eau name, all are direct
descendants of Mr.. John A. Taintors
stock, some of them having given as
high as twentystwo quarts of milk, and
made more than two pounds of butter
per dav, measured and weighed. have
crossed the Jersey bull with nearly all
the known breeds of COWS, Ayrshires,
Natives, Short horns, Dutch, the sacred
cow" and the Devons, and it is an
excellent cross with any and all breeds
for the dairy. have never yet found
half-biood Jersey COW that did not
yield richer quality of milk than her
dam. One popularity of the cross is
this: Wherever the Jersey bull serves,
he transmits the rich quality OF tie
milk to the grade he gets.
The thoroughbred Jersey cows, as
rule: have small teats and udders, small
bodies, and tender, delicate constitu-
tlors; they are not so hardy or so easily
kept as Ayrshires or Natives. but tie
grades have good-sized teats and
capacioBs udders; are hardy, easily kept
and the quantity of the milk is in
creased. The grade is, in fact, worth
more money to the farmer than the
pure Jersey, for ACTUAL production and
all purposes except breeding thorough
breds. The great value of Jersey
stock to the country is for dairy-men,
especially butter makers, who by cross
ing thoroughbred bulls upon their
common COWS of all the mixed bloods,
can select the heifer calves from their
best mixers, and raise them to take the
place, Of the present cows, and then
again cross the pure bull with the half
bloods. When these herds IRE three
quarter Jersey, their yield of butter will
doubtless be one-third more in quantity
offs much better quality in color, firm
ness, and flavor, and worth fifty, per
cent more than at present. Who can
estimate in dollars and cents what may
be gained in the next few years by the
farmers following this course, with a
slight outlay of money in thorough
bred Jersey bulls AIM. Faamer