The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1888-05-05
CHOICE OF CATTLE, HoLsTEIN VS.
JERSEYS.
SOME PRINCIPLES OF DAIRY FARMING.


Editors NEWARK LEDGER.
Herewith send you letter published
in Hoards Dairyman it is written by Mr..
M. II. Gardener of Darien, Wisconsin.
Mr.. Gardner is one of the best posted
gentlemen upon dairy matters in the
great North West. NELSON WARREN.
Malcolm II Gardner, of Darien, Wiscon-
sin, writes to HoardS Dairyman as fol-
lows:
"The old rule for making rabbit fur
begins; First, catch your rabbit So, in
beginning dairy farming, one must first
select his breed. And speaking of rabbits
the transition is very easy to Jerseys
and then as connecting link to the
other dairy breeds. For, in engaging in
dairy farming it cannot be supposed
that any man of sense would care to
take the beef breeds, though there are
those who, firm in their own belief that
they can ride two horses going in oppo-
site directions, undertake to breed a sort
of half aud halfanimal equally good for
milk and beef-pretty well known as
lioard's special antipathy, the general
purpose COW. The men who undertake
this sort of breeding are generally half
and half men, either lacking in develop
ment of brain, Or suffering from abnor-
nal development. But as they know it
all, and neither take a dairy paper nor
have any use for farmers institutes, one
will incur no enmity whatever he may
say concerning them.
The first class of these men usually
undertake to attain their object by cross
ing common COWS with a Shorthorn bull
or grade of that breed, and with the
almost inevitable result that the law of
heredity steps in so that just in proper
ton as the improved blood of the sire is
stronger than the heterogeneous mixture
of the dam, in the progeny beef is
gained and milk lost
The second class argues more plaus-
sibly this wise; That, since now and then
animal of this kind does exist, by care
full selection and liberal expediture a
small herd may be got together, and
then by tossing with a shorthorn sire
of milking family, both the beef and
the milking qualities of the dams may
be reproduced. But the result is always
disappointment, for, as the beef is hered-
ity and the milk is not, in the progeny
beef will predominant.
As the milk qualities, if they ever ex-
listed in the Shorthorns brought to this
country, have been pretty thoroughly
eradicated, will leave that breed as out
side the list of dairy breeds, and confine
myself mainly to comparison; Frie-
sian u.s. Jersey. The four prominent
dairy breeds in this country are the Erie
sian, Ayrshire, Guernsey and Jersey.
These four the special purpose man, who
is always interested in Channel Islands
cattle, delights to divide into two classes,
chasing the Friesian and Ayrshire as
special milk breeds, and the Guernsey
and Jersey as special butter breeds. To
this the Friesian men unanimously OBJ
ject, as they know that their cattle are
good not only for milk, but also for all
other dairy purposes. And it would
seem that these special purpose Jersey
men after being beaten again and again
on their, own ground, would begin to
understand this, and no doubt they do.
But the Friesian men are not selfish, oh
no. They are perfectly willing the Jer-
sey men shall monopolzie the whole
special purpose business. In fact, the
Jersey man must claim something, for
Whenever he sells heifer he seems to
them to be in about the same boat with
the man | once heard of. This man had
q dog of doubtful lineage which he was
anxious to dispose of, and finally found
a buyer at a good price in a stranger who
was looking for coon dog. In few
days the buyer returned and angrily ask
ed the seller why he sold him the dog
for II coon dog, when he was utterly
worthless for coons. Well said the
seller after deep meditation, # knew he
wasn't good for anything else, and as
didn't suppose anything was made in
vain, l thought he must be good for
coons. Following the same line of argu-
ment, the Jersey man may well sell his
heiier for Il Juiter COW. Let us hope the
buyer may not be disappointed.
TO BE- continued.
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