The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-02-08
THE JERSEY AS A FAMILY cow,
PRIZE ESSAY, BY A, L. CROSBY.

family COWS Is increasing. Never be-
fore were 80 many people getting
homes in the country, some of them
for the summer and some for the
whole year. Most Of these people want
COW they want good COW, one that
gives rich milk, for almost the first
luxury that city people call for when
they go into the country is plenty of
rich milk. As Il family COW the Jersey
stands pre- eminent; she gives rich
milk and is persistent mixer, with |
proper care never going dry, but milk
ing from calf to calf, so that those who
keep only one COW have milk all
the year, except for two or three
weeks. The family COW should be, and
usually is, the family pet The Jersey
COW has the gtntltst disposition, is
easily managed, will allow children to
handle her, is easy to milk, and, while
she does not at any time yield an ex-
traordinary quantity of milk, she will
keep up her yield remarkably well, and
taking the year through, give supply
sufficient for family use. The family
COW must not only supply the family
with milk, but with butter also, and
this the jersey will do. And Jersey
cream being easily churned, it is an
easy matter for those comparatively
ignorant OF butter making to manage
it in satisfactory way. This point is
too often overlooked, but it is very
important one and should be better
known, as also should the fact that
Jersey milk is easy to cream, the
cream rising under very adverse con-
ditions The Jersey is b hearty feeder,
and, as family COW, will learn to eat
up much of the kitchen waste, suchtss
corn husks, melon rinds, potato par
ings, etc Many object to the keeping
OF pigs, and with good reasons,fso this
kitchen waste is thrown away;9.the
Jersey will use this refuse, 4and on
small country places it counts up in
making the feeo bill lighter, and CON
sequently reducing the cost of the milk
and butter. ........ ....t
L WHO NEED FAMILY COWS?
Every family in moderate circum-
stances living in the country needs a
good family COW; and if the family 10.
cludes children, the need becomes al
most necessity The great objection
urged against keeping family COW is
the expense, which is supposed by
many who are unacquainted with The
tscts to heavily overbalance the in-
come. But the reverse can easily be
shown to be the truth, taking into
consideration the difficulty Of buying
good inilk even in tae c ,untry, che
cost of the same, and often the disap-
pointment in not being able to get 1t
just when most needed (all mothers
will appreciate this) l think when
the account is footed up it will be
found that the family COW will prove
herself to be money maker. But
right here comes in the point which
decides the question Of profit or loss in
keeping family COW, and that is, the
kind of COW kept. There can be nc
question as to whether or not it will
pay to keep poor COW, for it will not
but as to keeping good COW, there is
no doubt as to it's being a profitable
business from a dollar point OF view
and the Jersey COW answers this pur
pose admirably. speak both from
observation and experience. / have
been breeding Jerseys long enough tc
prove their value both for dairy and
for family cows. have sold them, tC
the class Of city people l have alluded
to, and have never heard the first com
plant against them. ... ..e
| have often been surprised at the
way the Jersey will persist in keeping
up her milk yield in the face Of condi
tions that had strong tendency t.
dry her up, and also how much negLec
she will stand in the way OF irregula
hours OF feeding and milking. Will,
it il not good policy to neglect the COW
yet we all know that when but on,
COW is kept she is not attended to wit
the same regularity that cows in th
farm dairy are, and the cow that wi
bear neglect with the least shrinkag
of milk IS the best cow to keep. Tn
only objection | have ever known to b
urged against jersey milk is that it
too rich to give to babies. In view {
the cheapness of water with which
dilute it, | never could see the force
this objection.