The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-05-19
GUERNSEY CATTLE.
An Essay Read Before the Guernsey Breeders
Association

An Essay Read Before the Gncrnscy Breeders
Association.
Among the various breeds to which
popular attention has been called in re-
cent years, there is none deserving Il
higher place III public estimation than
the Guernsey, whether for dairy pur-
poses or the later garncrcd profit as n
beef animal; and yet, perhaps, notwith-
standing such strong claims upon the
farmers and breeders attention, no
breed is SO little generally known. Not
only are there very many who have
never seen II Guernsey, but there are IL
vast number mole who have never seen
the milk or butter, and still greater
number who have never eaten Guernsey
beef. Those who have not, have yet to
see the deepest colored milk and cream,
the most golden colorcd butter rcqur-
ing no aid from colwing II after either
III summer or winter, and to taste the
most highly y-tavorcd beef in existence
having peculiar flavor of its own.
This breed may be said to be the hap
py medium between the diminutivc .Jcr-
scy and the huge Fricsian, and com
prlsing the merits Of both breeds. 1T is
thus par-cXccllencc the farmers breed,
especially for the buttcr-making farmer.
Dociie to an extreme, bearing neglect of
care well, it yet rcpays careful attention.
and good feeding with as much interest
as can he expected of any bovine race.
COLOR OF THE BREED.
Even to the fastidious, whom nothing
but solid color will please, its rich
goldcn-hucd skin will prove attractive
and recommend it's pleasantly combined
hucS OF yellow or lcmon-fawn and white:
for III no other breed will there be found
such an cNudation of. butyraceous mate
rial filling the pores and the hair with
unctious matter producing that soften
ing effect so dear to the hand Of the cx-
pert and to the breeder of butter. Mt
least, as II general rule in this breed, it
beng the exception in other breeds
While to the practical man, who knows
that color of the hair has not the slight
est influence upon the yield or constitu-
tion, the charming, softcning effects of
the blending of the golden fawns and
white are sources of perpetual delight.
oRIGIN OF THE BREED.
As this is as old IL breed as amy other.
has been kept purely bred as long, and
was imported into this country as early
as the Jersey there mus, be II reason for
its being comparatively so little known
and extended. The earliest settlers in
the sca-board districts were Dutch
Swedish and English They naturally
brought with them the COWS from their
homes, and thus, with the intcrmingling
OF their cattle, there sprung mp what is
now termed "Nativc Race" As it was
found desirable to improve upon these
with purc-brcd stock, the Dcvons, the
Shorthoms, the Jerseys and the Gucm-
seys were imported, The latter two in
the first quarter of this century. They
at once attracted great attention for their
richness of yield. Each breed was i'm
ported indiscriminatcly from either
Island under the general name of Alder
ncy AS they became fashionable in
England, and as each island restricted
Importation the true distinction finally
eliminated in the formation of clubs for
each breed The Jerseys, from their
great beauty, us well rs merit, have taken
the lead. Their praise has been herald
cd IN every manner, and being more
finely backed up by records of great per-
formancc, the breed has permanent
hold in this country, and aS merit is
guiding selection now, its claims TO value
will increase Thus, also, it is with the
Guernsey. The earliest importations
made by Colt, Biddlc, King and others,
have been maintained LH many others
But for many years past those who were
developing the Gucnseys in this co,m-
try, were too busy enlarging their herds,
and having none to spare, did but little
to call attention to them. But as Il
fknowiedgc of their merits spread, deal
crs have steadily been increasing Their
importations, and breeders have gonc
over and made selections, until now there
is beginning to be a supply for the rapid
ly increasing demand.
AS tha island has history of over
two thousand years, as the cattle have
strongly marked peculiar characteristics,
maintained by rigid exclusion from the
island of any other breeds, it seems not
worth Our while to enter into the dis.
puted question of the origin of this
breed of cattle, but to content ourselves
with their excellence as we find them AT
this day. We may, in passing, state ON
belief that they are of Norman origin,
though there is some testimony which
might lead us to suppose they might
have originally been brought there by
the Danes, or Mt least that some animals
were imported by the Danes and mixed
with those found OH the island. As
Normandy and Brittany are the nearest
coast lands of France with which there is
constant communication, and as tho
present Norman breeds, the Contcntine
and the like, are very similar, almost
npnolly noted fn,. tbni,, ,;nl, 1,;,,.