Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-07-17

Color OF Cows SKINS.-I have been
very much interested in the articles that
have appeared from time TO time during
the past year in the columns of your pa
per, and Of the Practical Furmer. from the
able pens of Messrs. Hardin, Sharpless
and others, upon the above and kindred
dairy topics. think they are all partly
right and partly wrong in their opinions
and statements, and what | shall now say
will doubtly be classed in the same rank.
First, let me say that Il yellow skin upon
COW is indicative that she will make yellow
butter; simply that and nothing more. 1t
does not afford us any sure criterion that
her milk will contain II large percentage
of butter. The only perfectly sure way of
ascertaining that point is to try and see
weigh or measure the milk, and weigh the
butter it makes. Secondly, the color of
the skin upon COW varies or changes
with differences of feed. and with The
seasons of the year. If l buy u COW now
that has been running for a month or six
weeks upon luXuriant pasture of green
grass, and she has very yellow skin, |
have no security that that COW will exhibit
the same yellow skin next January, when
she comes to be fed upon cornstalks, oat
straw and hay that was overripe when
cut. The butter the COW makes, as well
rs the other fats secreted in her system,
are rs largely dependent upon the food she
eats as they are upon the natural constitu-
ton. Now, what authority have for these
opinions? have in my herd Guernsey
cow with very yellow skin, and her but
ter in June is as deep an orange-yellow
color us | ever saw; ten quarts of her
milk are required to make pound of but
ter. | have Jersey cow, which; if viewed
| in June, shows some indications of vel
low skin upon the rear of her udder, in
side of cars, ETC., but in January would be
pronounced white. skinned COW. Her
butter, in summer, is reasonably yellow,
but as winter approaches it changes to
lemon and 10 straw color, even when fed
upon corn meal, and yet eight quarts of
her milk will make II pound of butter. My
COWS. feeding upon the same pasture, do
not make rs yellow butter now rs they did
II month ago AS the grass approaches
maturity, the butter made from it becomes
paler in color.
The commission appointed by our State
Board Of Agriculture to examine and test
the truth of the Guenon system of select
ing dairy stock, in "a recent examination
of my herd OF nine COWS. cassed only
three of them as giving milk of the first
quality. and the other six as giving milk
Of the second quality. judging mainly by
the color of the skin. and yet the result OF
the weeks trial showed that 9 55-67 quarts
of milk made Il pound of butter from the
entire herd. When ten quarts of milk or
less make pound of butter, l consider
that milk to be of the first quarity. When
the report of the commi sson is published
may have something more to say about
the system. In the mean time, if our
friend Hardin would spend as much time
and talent in building up Il reliable system
by which we could select and breed our
cows, rs he docs in tearing down the heo-
ries and systems of others, he would be-
stow upon us double benefit. We have
heard what he does not believe in, now let
him give us his rules for selecting and
breeding cows for the butter dairy
EaStburn Reeder, Bucks County, Pd.. in
Country Gentlemen.