The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1893-08-03
THE JERSEY cow A REFORMEE
PRIZE ESSAY, BY GEORGE JACKSON.

The Jersey COW is o dairy reformerI
Her influences in this direction are
apparent in the fact that since her in
PRODUCTION, aud the recognition OF her
claims for butter making. the quality
OF that article has improved beyond
comparison its value has advanced,
and the demand has increased in far
greater ratio than the facility to fur.
nish it. In almost every community
indeed, it is pretty generally SO ev
erywhere-the product OF the Jersey
dairy sells to eager buyers at Is to SO
per cent. more than that from other
breeds Of cattle, and It is rot uncom.
mon, near large cities and centers of
wealth. that the entire yield of butter
from Jersey herds is engaged the year
through at 40, so and even rs cents
per pound.
She has introduced another impor-
tant measure Of reform into the sys-
tenn of management OF the dairy herd.
1t has been the custom of milk and
butter dairymen to buy fresh COWS
and milk them through the season, or
until their supply has decreased to an
improbable point, when they were
turned off, and othors, freshly calved,
substituted, in order to keep up the re-
quired quantity of milk. Many COWS
procured in this way dry of after
very brief milking period, and, as there
is wide difference in the selling value
between fresh COWS and dry ones, the
plan is expensive and Improbable to
the dairymen. The fresh cow Of a few
months before, bought at the high
price dairy animals in full flow Of
milk always command, must go at any
sum obtainable, generally very low
one, for deals in dry COWS are always
favorable to the buyer.
The constitutional habit OF the Jer-
sey COW to milk in profitable quaint
ties the year round, together with her
increased value as dairy animal,
abolishes the necessity of this extrav,
agant course, and will justify the dai.
ryman in keeping her from year 10
year, combining with his dairy inter
ests that Of breeder. The offspring
of his COWS are readily sold at paying
prices if he does not care to raise
them, the new supply of milk can be
utilized in his business, aud, by judi
cious direction of his breeding opera
tions, he may secure an even and con
tinuous supply from his herd during
the entire year.
Jerseys as rule are not large milk
ers, though the breeding tendency o.
recent years is to increase the amount
and there are now many heavy milk
ing COWS Of the breed, but they are
nearly always persistent in their yields
and rarely dry off for more than few
weeks before calving, and by far the
greater number never dry at all. This
is most valuable feature to the dai
ryman; aud in connection with it
when the increased richness of milk il
considered, the balance of profit in ia
vor of the Jersey as yearly produce
of butter over the short term thin mil
kers is very apparent, and convincing
to the mind of the practical dairyman
Among the more popular and valu
ed reforms brought about by the Jer
sey is the mission she fills as the fam
lily COW, the one animal kept to fur
nish milk, cream and butter for tn
household. This article of household
economy is about as indispensable t.
every well regulated home as the wei
of water at the door, and the kind 0
COW employed, in ninety-nine cases il
hundred, all over the land, in tow
village and country, is a Jersey COW
and where she has not yet made he
appearance she is being looked fol
and it is safe to predict that whel
once established she will stay. Ever
men who give special attention t
raising beef cattle, and can see moth
ing OF value in the Jersey except he
adaptation as a family COW, seek he
eagerly for this purpose.