Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-04-23
Jersey Cattle in America.

; gave less milk than the native cattle
and were held to have neither the sizt
nor conformation to fatten to advan
tsge when past usefuldess in the dairy
Still, from their earliest history in Amer
ica, the few people who were induced tc
become practically familiar with theil
dairy qualities rarely discarded them in
favor of other cattle. Their peculiar
lcolors and shadiEgs rendered it easy tc
distinguish traces of the blood when
crossed upon native stock, and in time
the least obseryant farmer seldom failed
to notice that his richest milk came
from the cow with the Alderney cross
So it began to be conceded that these
grades made superior dairy cattle long
before the prejudices ef most dairymen
would allow them to admit that the
thoroughbred could be of any practical
value in working dairies. They were
declared to be only rich mems play
things, and until late years failed to
gain general recognition upon more
creditable footing.
& But if the progress made by the Jer-
sey was slow, it was nevertheless sure
| When she once formed friend or con-
verted an opponent, she held him "for
good add ALL" Between the years 1850
and 1865 larger numbers we're received
through the importations of Thomas
Motley, of Boston, Massachusetts; John
A., Taintor, of Hartford, Connecticut; !;
John T. Norton, Pennington, Connecti
cat; R. L. Colt, Paterson, New Jersey !;
r. L. Maitland, New York; William B.
Dinsmore, Staatsburg, New York, and
few others. Great care and excellent
judgment were exercised in the selec+
tion'of the cattle for these importations,
and much of the present popularity of
the breed in America is directly due to
the skill of the practical gentlemen who
conducted the enterprise.
There is abundant evidence that there
was at the time, and ever has been since,
a Considerable proportion of undesirable
stock on the island of Jersey, although
few actually non-paying cows are ret
tained, yet Sc unifarmly good were the
cattle that were purchased for these
early importations that to this day most
Of the older American-bred herds built
up exclusively of their blood far surpass
in dairy qualities the average standard
that has been maintained on the island,
and in special cs ses compare favorably
with the very best of later fashionable
importations.
But while the general excellence of the
cattle brought thus early to this country
paved the way to the present great pops
nlarity of the breed in America, the
more active canses of the recent high
prices came at later date in the shape
of several remarkable cases of enormous
butter capacity shown by Jersey cows,
which opened the eyes of breeders and
dairymen to the possibilities within
reach of the breed. So great we're some
of these reported yields that for time
the lesson came near being lost upon
the public through disbelief in their
truthfulness. But gradually, as one test
after another was claimed, each in its
scope sustaining the possibility OF the
others, and as some of them were vouch-
ed for by men of character and promi-
nence, few breeders began to give
them credence. These earlier converts
were ridiculed and made subjects of no
little railery for their credulity, but
their ranks increased in numbers. AT
length those who believed began to buy
of the strains of blood that had produ>
ced the cows for which great tests were
claimed, and others, who possibly did
not believe, also bought, because they
reasoned that there would be dupes and
spectators enough to make a market.
No sooner was this point reached than
of values began to receive
substantial recognition at the hands of
buyers, and the element of special blood
or family became an important consid-
Grafton.
This additional Importance of the
question of exact pedigree sadly en-
croached upon time-honored precedents,
and took many of the older and more
breeders by surprise. Hard
ly one of them had had occasion to study |
the pedigree of their animals enough to
have the faintest idea of their lines be-
yond the nearest crosses. Prize winning
at fairs had been the highest recognized
badge of merit. This was accomplished
wholly upon the external appearance of
the cattle exhibited. A scale of points
had been adopted by the American Jer-
,ey Cattle Club, and was supposed to
give due credit to each and all features,
marks. and traits that, combined at
their maximum, constituted a perfect
animal. This standard was therefore
purely symbollcal, but was recognized
BY common consent as the end of the
aw. In addition to the scale of points,
certain requirements relating to fancy
color, absence of white. ETC.,
BASED entirely upon aesthetic grounds,
Ind bearing no relevancy to the useful>
less of the animals, had obtained most
hold upon breeding fashions.
80 far were these fashions in the as
that sellers made them the
thief claim to public consideration when
'ffering their stock for sale. The ap-
,earance that cow would present upon
he lawn of a oountrv rnsidenpe Uas n