Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-07-20
Value of RnIler.

In the latest herd catalogue of Jerseys
that | have received, the owner says
" There has never been any individual test
made with my animals while in my pos
session, strongly ohjecting TO the forcing
of any animal with strong food for the
purpose of making a large record, which
very he " people will believe after having
been made" This is natural expression
of the feeling which is spreading among
breeders as to the doubtful value and
qualify doubtful authenticity of some of
HE largest reported yields. 1t assumes
IS facts, however, two or three statements
which admit of dispute, and which will
serve ~ convenient texts for discussion.
One is that the " forcing of any animal
WI strong iced y is always necessary
" for the purpose OF making large re,
cord The mex. Is that such forcing is
always injurious. The third is that very
few people will believe the results thus
obtained.
First, it is probably true that the largest
records nave been obtained by forcing, al
though the owners of some of the mos,
noted animals have been very reticent rs
to the course pursued in these tests. In the
case of Eurotas, for instance, where the
proportion of milk to butter seems almost
incredibly small, ind where full inf rmation
a3 to quantity and description of food and
mode of treatment would be highly inter
esting, we have, so far rs | know, nothing
at ALL Of course she was fed rs she would
eat-ths we may safely assume-but how
much would she eat, and upon what
meat doth this our (bovine) Cesar feed?'
1t is II pity these questions should remain
unanswered. But admitting that forcing
has produced the largest records, are they,
for that reason, without valued Are they
not, rather, of the highest value OF showing
the capabilities of indivdu lis and families
and of the breedp 1t is not true that some
of the best records-by which l mean
hose most highly valued by breeders as
indications of excellence-have been made
on moderate feed or on grass alonep
have had II little experience in making
seperate tests of sing lie cows, and do moi
see how anv breeder can proceed inlelli
gently without them. do not remember
ever testing three cows in success on with
out up setting my preconceived estimate.
of one or two of t hem The breeder who
undertakes to do without individual tests
relying on II COOL general average from
his herd, is almost sure to make u mistake
. HIS which are his best COWS. He may
| have in his herd, without suspecting il
/ some animals not worth keeping, anC
f others OF extraordinary merit-the fa
average concealing merits and defect
: alike Moreover it is only by tests o
single cows, carefully conducted and Offer
f repeated under varying conditions of food
weather and shelter, that we Can hope t,
q arrive at anything like A definite knowledge
of the best manner of treating our herd
q for the economical production of butter,
Y These considerations are sufficient ans
: wer perhaps, to the idea evidently upper
a most in the mind of the writer quote
e above that tests and records are usefu
/ only when they are large and can be use
S for purposes Of display and advertisements
}, But he subj ct deserves little NOR
I Dar ocular discussion than | can give
# here. suppose every Jersey breeder VIII
!, has II particle of enthusiasm about hil
: has set AN ideal standard before his min
J. which he will try to reach. Mine, fo
. Instance is dairy of fifteen pound COWS
4 How am | to get any nearer to it than
am, unless test for my own information
l.. The greatest value of IL system of teslin
l. is not likely to be found in any publishe
d results, but in the substitution of know
!, edge ior conjecture on the part of breeder,
"A Other valuable results will be the over
>. turning of all fictitious STANDARDS Of v;,lu,
;, the development of much unsuspccte
1t merit in families not now rated rs highl
, as they deserve, and the fixing OF prices i
4 proportion to actual performance.
il will dispose very briefly of the secon
d point, that forcing is always injurious,
h and reserve the third for another paper
e The word " forcing" is a great bugbea
It with many who would admit that it
, synonym-the fullest possible develop