McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-11-06
AGRICULTURAL.
The Batter Records of the Jerseys.

The Butter Records of the jerseys.
No breed of cattle has become more
popular than the Jerseys, and no breed
gives more general satisfaction. With
in the past ten years they have made
greater progress than for many years
previous, owing to the great interest
taken in them by American breeders.
The Jerseys were handicapped by the
''color marks''-cream fawn and black
nozzle-until inferior cattle were in
greater demand than those which were
meritorious. In other words, every val
liable quality was being sacrificed to
solid color. The prices at which they
were sold, however, were low, as those
who desired first-class butter COWS were
not disposed to venture too largely in
order to possess prize annual whose
superiority rested upon exterior charac-
teristics only. When new departure
was ventured upon, and the breeding
animals were selected from those that
excelled in the production of butter, the
Jerseys rapidly rose in favor and be-
came in great demand.
In building up the leading strains of
Jerseys the cows Alphea, Eurotas and
Coomassie were the foundations, while
the male line is traced to Jupiter, Rioter
were used to improve the strains, but
those named were the principal fami-
lies, although they were somewhat re-
lated. The cow Coomassie has been of
greater service through the influence of
her sons and grandsons than through
her daughters, while the others have
produced excellent descendants through
both the male and female line. Eurotas,
a daughter of Rioter, has departed her
good qualities to all her descendants,
and the bull Rioter is well represented
through the Stoke Pogis family, the
ST. Lambert COWS being chiefly of his
blood. Our object here, however, is
not to give pedigrees, but to impress
upon our readers the Importance of
careful selection of the breeding stock
from animals that have proved them
selves meritorous. This rule has become
imperative among breeders. We find
the record alone the test for the trotter,
and, and although pedigree is very val
liable, unless an animal demonstrates
its usefulness as a sire or dam its own
excellence will not giveit high place as
a breeder. Blue Bull, a horse of almost
unknown lineage, has gone to the
front as sire of trotters, although but
an inferior trotter himself, and the cow
Coomassie, while not equaling others of
later date, still ranks the highest as a
source of the best quality. The test of
merit has increased the tieeces and car
cases of our sheep, and the early ma
turity and capacity of digestion of the
swine have enabled breeders to single
out certain families of Berkshires as SUI
perior to others. By this process of
selection for merit only, and according
to the capacity of the animal, breeders
have produced Jersey cows that give
thirty pounds of sailed butter in one
week, the milk required for such pro-
duction being only five quarts for one
pound of butter, as in the case of Ida,
of st. Lambert. The milk yields of the
Holsteins, from some families, have
reached over fifty pounds (about TWEEN
ty-five quarts) daily, and still the i'm
proVement goes on.
But although the cows themselves
are selected as the fittest for the pur-
pose, such tests are made under the
most favorable conditions only. The
food is rich, varied, of the best quality,
and given plentifully-but this is the
duty of every farmer The butter COWS
are selected for their butter qualities
alone, and not with view to securing
a large quantity of milk. Their beef
qualities are entirely discarded, and
their future value for the butcher is not
considered. The Jerseys are active,
small in size, and mature early, the
heifers often producing calves before
they are year and a half old. They
are distinct from the Guernseys, not
being as large, and possessing a more
delicate shape and finer bone. There
are no Attorney cows in this country,
the gilt-edged butter so styled being
from the Jerseys and Guernseys. The
nse of Jersey bull among common
herd makes marked change in the
character of the offspring, and but a
short time is required to largely increase
the value of the stock, while the yield
of butter is more than doubled.