The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-05-16

The Jersey and Guernsey cows
naturally give milk sof the richest
quality, and the product in butter is
not only large but in texture and
flavor far superior to that from any
other breed. The prices paid for
bulls and heifers within the past
two or three years have been very
large, not because the cows are bet
ter than they were before, but be-
cause the eagerness evinced by buy
ers to procure certain strains has
given an upward tendency to all.
Jerseys are divided by reputation
into several families of excellent an
imals; but although such distinction
is made, it is due to individual ad-
miration of the descendants of such
noted animals as Countess, Alphea,
Pansy, Coomassie and others. So
close has been the breeding of Jer-
seys that nearly all of them are re-
lated to each other. and so eager are
breeders to infuse blood of certain
strains into their herds that they
breed indiscriminately so far as re-
lationship is concerned, it being
nothing uncommon for a bull to be
the sire of a calf, the sire of its dam,
and sometimes of its grand dam also.
The breeding together of brother and
sister seems to invoke no opposition
whatever, and while the system of
breeding practiced has no doubt
tended to fix the qualities of the sew
eral families, and thereby enable
them to more firmly transmit such
to their offspring, vet it cannot be
denied that the time will arrive when
the injurious effects of such close in
breeding will be manifested in the
weakened constitutions and lack of
hardness.
So far as the butter tests are con-
cerned much depends upon the sys-
tenn of feeding. If the best COW of
all was merely valued for that which
she would produce in the shape of
butter she would fall far below the
prices paid, but her value extends
in another direction. She is the re-
suit ola selection, and is made the
foundation upon which to build still
a higher grade of animals, her value
then being beyond estimation. The
ordinary farmer is liable to failure
in attempting to reach the high rec
ords attained by eminent jersey
COWS, for the tests are only made un-
der the most favorable conditions,
but the farmer can make very de-
cided Improvement in his herd of
COWS with the use of bulls of this
breed, even with those that sell for
low figures.
The best butter records are those
of Jersey Belle of Scituate Countess
family which produced % pounds
and 3 ounces in one week; Alphea,
"a pounds s ounces; Value (Pansy
family y "a pounds 4 ounces; Mollie
Garfield, % pounds 12ounces Bonn
ba, q pounds II ounces, and Euro
tas, % pounds 7 ounces. Eurotas
gave SS pounds in thirty-one days,
and in one year her yield was 77S
pounds. There are many other
cows that have made records all the
way from 10 pounds up to 20, and
such yields are no longer regarded
as extraordinary. The results are
evidences of what careful breeding
will do, and say what we may
against the injudicious system of in
breeding which has been practiced,
it cannot be denied that improve
ment has overbalanced the mistakes.
The Jerseys are small, delicate,
deer-like cows, with soft, velvety
skin and well defined escutcheons.
They mature early and come in
profit before they are two years old.
They are not adapted for beef pro-
duction, nor do they present full
round appearance, but for the spec
ial purposes to which they are in
tended have no equal.