Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-31

Is there any evidence OF the good quality
of cows in the color of their skins and hair
If so, what is the best color to rely upon gen
erally2
TO many, at first, this will seem a useless il
not n silly question. And yet let the caviler
pause. Does not oven he, insensibly IL not
directly, feel influenced by the color of the
animal he is about to purchaser Will its col
or have any influence upon his judgment or
upon the price he will give2 The hasty one
will answer, no Let us watch him as no
mingles in that mixed herd of various breeds.
All he sees nicely-formed and marked Jer-
sey he likes her promises, but he turns away
from her because she is red. His eye is next
caught with promising Durham, but it is
black and he turns to very fine Ayrshire
approaching him, but alas! it is nearly white.
Next he sees very well shaped COW, very
large, fine udder, and every appearance of
being good, steady, large mixer, and he is
told it was bred from pure Holstein stock ;
but it is Of a nice roam color, and he declines
TO buy. Finally he leaves this whole herd of
really excellent cows, which have been gath.
cred up by the drover at low prices from
many of the best thoroughbred herds in the
country, sold 10y their owners, not because
they were not good COWS, but because they
did not breed 'true to color" In short, they
are supposed to be accounted for by retro
fNlolbhs NOb btlliB VI lht lubulOlhDle COL
ors, their owners have parted with them for a
ridiculously low prico-lower, perhaps, than
a good grade would bring Why is this /?
Why is there a fashionable color2 Is it be-
cause the color that is popularity believed to
belong each to its special breed makes it east
err to prove its origin and helps its sale be-
cause it counts for so many in the scale of
points? At any rate, whatever reasons may
be given, it proves that all mankind are gov
erned by color, mainly, and answers our first
question, that there is no evidence of good
quality of cows in their color"
But il this is not true, then our second
question is a seqWitur. "What is the best
color to rely upon generally"
There is no breed that has not among it
those that are black, and the farther back you
trace each breed the more you will hear of
black ancestors Even the famed Jerseys,
amongst which breed, perhaps, to. day fewer
black will be found than in any other, had
black for one of its original colors and. if it
originally came from Brittany, black was one
of the prevailing colors. Even to-day rich.
golden, mulberry brown is one of the best
colors to have on the animal Seldom or new
er have we known poor Jersey that had the
true golden mulberry brown color, which
shone and glistened with its golden line along
the back and on the prominent points. And
y
the deep fawn or red struggling for the mas
terry or the dominant color? Whence come
all the black points, switches and tongue ?
What is the dark squirrel grey but the origi-
nal black asserting itself? What is the brin-
die but streaks of black cropping out?
Thomas Quayle wrote from Jersey in 1872
The color here is commonly red, or red and
white; occasionally what is called cream col
or, or that color mixed with white Some
times they are black, and black and white :
some, like the northwest Highlanders, are
black, with dingy, brown-red ridge on the
back, and about the nostrils of the same col
| or"
1t is curious coincidence that wherever
the Druids and the Celtic language have been
| traced, small black or black and white breed
has been found. In Jersey there now exists
a chapel twelve or fifteen hundred years old
| the only one now remaining of some fifty
| such chapels that existed away back near the
| apostolic times on this little island. In Brit
tany, the coast nearest to Jersey, the cattle
are black and black and white and fawn with
black-tipped horns. In Friesland, and every
other part of Holland the black-and-whitt
prevail. In Ireland the black Kerry COW i.
| noted In Anglesey the cattle are small anC
black. In Shetland the breed is small anc
mainly black. In Ayrshire as late as 1911 the
| cattle were almost wholly black. The Gallo
way breed at that time were generally blscl
| or brndled. The Dunlap breed too, were
| black or brown. In Cornwall the origna
cattle were small, black and white, brown
and brindle and SO with many of the specia
breeds of the many shires in England, par
| tcularly wherever Druidcal remains ar,
| found.
Quayle, writing from Jersey in 1912, said
1T is not here admitted that black or
| apl otNl ri =. & 1 i
or TO a cream.co lored COW indeed, tho opin
| ion seems to incline the other way-the mill
of black COW is maintained by some to b,
the richest. On hearing praises bestowed OIL
particular cows, they generally but not al
ways, were found to have a black tinge.'
| Nearly every one will readily call to mine
| the black cows that he has known, and remem
| Der that they have generally proved gooc
ones so with the Dutch breeds, the beltet
stock, and the English and Scotch pole,
breeds.
We have written enough to show that i
there is anything in color as q test of the DUAL
ity OF COW, the best cows have been black
Then why is it that 80 few of them are to b,
seen? Is it proof that color has a grea
deal to do with the popularity of breed, an,
that black is not popular color? YaluAbl
as the Essex, Sussex and Berkshire pigs are
they are not ana never will be as popular 6
those of white breeds.
There is an objection to black cows that
a weighty one-that they do not show tina
rich golden-yellow skin the lover of Jersey
and Guenseys 30 likes to see. But this draw
back to telling their quality is easily overcom
by the disciple of Guenon, rs he Judges b.
the escutcheon, soft oleaginous skin, an,
the short, soft and silky hair Wills p. Ha.
drd in Ohio Farmer.