The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1879-07-25
HOW TO CHOOSE A FAMILY COW.

many were not even brought up on farm,
hcnce they may be supposed not to know
much about COWS. Yet, as every body who
can should keep a good cow, every body
should have some definite idea OF what con
stitutes and how to recognize aud select
such an one. How to buy one is quite
another matter. When it comes to buying,
we would much prefer to delegate the job,
and ruu the risk of being cheated little
than to stand and wriggle and dicker over
u few dollars, and yet it is best always to
buy just as cheap as the owner will part
with anything. ~ -
If one has the opportunity, he should by
all means see the COW MIXED, take tum-
blerful of milk and let it stand to see how
much cream will rise, and ifthefe are sew.
,e,eral of which he has the choice, he would
y Well 70 apply this :, test to several of the
best A good cow will give ten to twenty
quarts of milk a day, and one giving ten
quarts of milk, when fresh, should make q
large quantity of butter. Take no Strangers
word for what his COW will do, unless he
assures you she will take down fences as
fast as you can put them up, or perform
some similar feat. If possible, sec her
milked twice, morning and evening, and
take some of tic milk after the milking,
examine its color, set it for cream in a
cylinder glass or in tumbler compare the
amount Of cream with the amount of milk J;
look to the color Of the cream, which should
be yellow, aud to that Of the milk, which
may be blue, but better if white Get, if
possible, guarantee that the COW holds
out well, that she gives milk in good guam
tity to within four to six weeks of calving.
Some COWS which give large amount of
milk at first fall off in their yield very
rapidly a few weeks after being got with
calf, and these animals, though few in num-
Der, are always for sale. We know of no
certain way Of detecting this bad quality
BY nspection-although according to the
y Guenon system, there arc external ndica-
tions whichttna be relied upon; yet it
takes, we Imagine, long study of the
3 Guenoa ss.milk mirrors" of.oows to detect
those showing This characteristic. A
Z French herdsman, named Guenon, early
.prasdnt century, discovered that o
! very INTERESTS ipE eoaps sctlpp 8isssS hetWBen
the anioaAo milk IS gIven By any 66v and
!, ,tte we and form Of q band or ssurisee OF
,sskly5f Wing short hair sxtendiDg over
mo bneE & part sQf tho 1dtder, and more Or
less mp kaSa sopetimess sscloses toFthe root of
THE taiR & This has: BEEN called the "milk
! mirror" or "escutcheon," as it has at times
something the shape of shield. Asa gen
eral statement it may be said that the
larger, broader, and higher this "milk mir
ror" is, the more milk a cow will give in
proportion to- her size, and the longer she
will hold out In buying milk cow, beau
ty is not necessarily considered, for her
usefulness is what she is valued for; and,
according to the old saw, handsome is that
handsome does" Still, beauty of color
and form makes such an animal attractive,
and adds at times many dollars to her price
absolutely i'll shapcn, and they ar, always
thin in flesh when in full milk. In fact,
one can pick out in July the best COWS of
herd by the ease with which their ribs may
be counted.
All that is unctuous in a COW that gives
rich milk does not go to cream, but cr-
tain portion makes her hide pliablc and
soft and her hair glossy The color of the
skin is usually an indication of richness of
the milk, for it has, especially upon white
spots, and where the skin is bare of hair
as close around the eyes and within the
ears-a rich golden yellow or brown color.
the exact age Of COW is d ficult to
determine, but it is Of little moment com
pared with the number of calves she has
had This may be accurately determined
by the rings on her horns The first calf
is usually dropped when the heifer is either
two or three years old, and calves year by
year after that, cause, of course, annual
rings. Exposure during very severe win
ter, or fit Of severe sickness, continued
several weeks, will also form q ring. A
cow is in her prime at about five years old,
or after having her third calf. After she
is eight years old, marked falling off is
usually noticeable; yet the difference in
the vigor of different breeds is great.
Health is an important consideration.
which the buyer must always bear in mind,
If the COW eats heartily of common fodder;
if she gives good quantity of milk ifker
uddcr is not lumpy, or cakcd, or hot; if she
has no cough, and does not.go lame, and is
warranted sound, it is fair to suppose she is
in good, ordinary health.
The comfort Of the mixer, and the chan.
ecs that the COW will be well MIXED, are
g eatly increased, if her tcats are Of good