Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-03-08

Under sunshine or Storm and IN AL altuatlonA
Should show us the bounty and goodness Of heaven.
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Jersey Cows.
correspondent of the New England
Homestead gives the following account of the
origin and general characteristics of the Jer-
sey and Alderney COWS, together with n state
ment of the points of excellence claimed for
this celebrated dairy stock
on the northwest coast of France. opposite
to the centre of the south of England. lies a
cluster of islands four of which, Jersey,
Guernsey, Attorney and Sark, are inhabited
and are under the British sceptre. These is
lands are in size in the order of their names.
and the cattle had on Jersey and Attorney
are substantially the same. and are now call
ed Jerseys" as the island from which they
are named is the largest of the group.
The Jersey COW is of medium size, and
when young, of peculiar deer.like aspect,
the nose generally black and the muzzle usu-
ally encircled with n band white. or nearly
SO, though occasionally the nose is of a buff
color. The bodies of Jerseys are of all shades
OF color, from pale yellow fawn to an inter
mixture of brown and white, black and white
or pure black, including between these ex-
tremes French gray red and many other
shades. The Indy breeders of England often
send to their agents in Jersey pattern of
silk which they desire to have matched by
COW IN color, and if the agent does not find
exactly the same shade he sends back o pat
tern III silk as near as he can come to the col
or desired, and if acceptable, a COW of that
shade follows. The darker colors are the
most popular in England, but in this country
there Is not much choice and those of lighter
shade have been esteemed the richest milk
ers, though within few years dark COWS with
full black points. t. C. black tongue. black
hoots and black switch to the tail have
brought fancy" prices and there has been
tendency to breed for those peculiarities
It's now admitted on all hands that the Chan
mel island cattle, Jerseys and Guernseys, are
especially valuable as butter makers; the
ears of the best have "A rich orange color with
IN, and the same color is to be seen in the
skin under the hair and Mt the extreme tip of
the root of the tail. Some of the best Jer-
seys give from twenty to twenty-five quarts
of milk IN "a hours and two pounds of butter
is made from such milk though ordinarily
the yield of milk is from ten to twelve and
fourteen quarts daily, from which ten pounds
of butter weekly is made The butter made
is harder than from ordinary COWS, makes ca
sier in hot weather, keeps better, and. if prop
eriy packed, can be transported long distan-
ces III the summer, without ice.
LhS Oclhogh art llBul leeutTb ana most per-
sistent mixers. Two to four quarts of a mix
ture of wheat bran and corn meal. with good
hay is the usual daily allowance during win
ter TO the Berkshire herds where butter is
made all the year round, and when the bracing
winds give zest to the food. More difficulty
is had Ill drying off than in retaining the
milk, and several cows in my herd come in,
year after year. with their calves. without
holding up entirely in their milk much to my
regret. We generally start the cutting off all
feed except dry hay Mt least two months be-
fore the period of CESSATION is expected, and
but few if any COWS dry off as early as desra-
BILE before calving This is, of course. good
fault in a butter diary, as more butter is
made IN proportion to the amount of milk as
the yield decreases, and butter diary should
not average less than $50 pounds of butter
per COW per annum, and many i'll England
and i'll this country exceed 800 pounds.
These cattle come TO maturity or rather to
maternity very early, the heifers taking the
bull, if allowed, at four months, and one hei-
fer having had twins when thirteen months
and twenty days old but the general prac-
tice Is to have them come in at two years If
well cared for, they also live, yield milk and
breed TO great age, it not being uncommon
to find cows eighteen years old performing
these services.
Since the establishment of the Jersey Cat
tie Club, and the registering of the approved
pedigrees IN the herd book of this club, such
registered animals and their progeny have be-
come more valuable, as well on that account
as by reason of more attention being called TO
their merits, and the increased demand for
fancy or ''gilt-edged" butter which it is claim
ed can be made more uniformly from this
breed. Prices vary from $50 TO $500 per
matured COW, and heifer calves sell at from
$50 TO 500; bull calves at something less
and yearling bulls at from $50 to 500. 500
and 5000 As the true principle of heredity
that like breeds like" is nowhere more
strongly exemplifed than in this breed of cat
tie, any person with limited means DESTROYS
of starting herd or infusing the Jersey blood
into his existing herd will find it more eco
nomical to purchase calves and thus at little
expenditure secure valuable animals of the
best breeding
These cattle were transferred from the is
land TO England and highly esteemed (as they
have been ever since more thnn century
ago. They were imported to this country in
the beginning of this century, and have been
imported and owned in Massachusetts, for
twenty-five years past, and are now being
largely purchased for the South and West
where they thrive, and grow daily into great
er favor.
The Guernsey is larger than the Jersey,
heavier IN the bone, not possessing the SYM
metrical deer-like form of the latter though
rs rich a mixer The head is larger. muzzle
broader, eye less prominent, the nose usually
of buff color, and the color of the body usu-
ally fawn, running through the various shades
TO deep red. The island of Jersey exports
annually about 1900 COWS and heifers and
Guernsey about 500. The stock in Alderney
does not exceed 400 head and" not more than
30 are sent away annually. Ten years ago
the value in the islands of each COW of pure
breed was from ZIG TO els, but the buyers
have become so much more numerous that
the prices have risen at least third, and it
now costs about $500 to get a heifer landed in
New York