The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-01-25
AN ENCONOMICAL BUTTER COW.
PRIZE ESSAY. BY HENRY s. REDFirLD.

successful breeder, with the purpose
OIL demonstrating the superior value of
the special family of Jerseys, OF which
he was an enthusiastic Admirer, con.
trlbuted series Of articles 70 one of
the newspapers baseo upon the pro.
position that "a butter COW is valuable
In proportion TO the smallness of the
food required by her to make a pound
OF butter" The writer's proposition
Is perfectly sound, but not sufficiently
comprehensive, -
Broadly stated, that machine which
can produce given quantity of a
finished product az the least expense
ls the most valuable machine; but to
obtain comprehensive and truthful
estimate of its value as compared with
other machines tor the same work, we
must consider carefully, not only its
fitness for the work, but also its dura-
billty. r
And in comparing breeds of cows,
We ought to be satisfied thxt one breed,
ID superior to another merely upon
finding that it takes less feed to enable
an individual of that breed to produce
single pound Of butter but here, too,
we should take into consideration the
term of service, or the durability, OF
the COW rs q butter producer. In
other words, that cow is most valuable
as butter producer which is not only
beat fitted for the work, but also has
greatest longevity as dairy animal.
Can any other breed meet this double
test as successfully as the Jersey?
Without mentioning other charsc.
teristics, the Jersey COW has special tit
meas Tor butter production on account
OF the richness OF her milk and the al
most complete recovery OF her butter
fat by the churn. AS to richness OF
milk, we have evidence that can not
be questioned. At the New Jersey
Agricultural Experiment Station,
three individuals of each of five breeds
were under experiment in the years
1889 and 1890, and the report for eleven
months show the average percentage
of total fat of the milk of the Jerseys
to have been 4,S9. Three other breeds
were all below 4 per cent, the highest
of the three being 3,79.
In this report is also stated the over-
age cos Of food per pound Of fat. The
cost 9th Jersey aOaS 17,9 cents, three
Of. the other breeds respectively, 20,6,
POS and 22,4, the Guernsey being the
only one to compare favurably with
the Jersey. ..4.
Bulletin No. 81 of the New York
shows q similar state of facts. The
average number Of pounds of fat in
one hundred pounds of milk for six
months was 5,62 for the Jerseys, the
next highest breed, sos, and the low
est of the five breeds, $50.
The almost complete recovery of
the butter fat OF the jersey milk by
the churn-or what ia sometimes
termed churnability--is an extremely
important factor in her value which is
often overlooked, and here again We
may seek information from the unpre-
JUDGED observers st the New York
station The percentage OF fat in Jer-
sey milk recovered in butter was 81, g,
while in one of the breeds it ran as low
LAS 64.3. The table giving the number of
pounds, of milk required to make one
pound of butter shows that ittook
17,5ypounds OF the Jersey milk, while
Of the milk OF one of the breeds forty
pounds were required.
But the, Jersey is not only fitfor the
work, she is also capable of performing
it for a long period. The cases are
rare where she ia much more than two
years old when she has her first cali
and commences her dairy work, and
she often produces, this first year OIL
performance, seventy five per cent
of the amount given by her at her
pine. Carefully and intelligently
managed, she will continue steadily
atwork until she is more than thirteen
years of age, her term of service thus
extending over eleven years. In other
words, she is durable. That it may be
seen that this statement is we'll found
ed, / call attention to the following
instances
Jerseys 1850 made fifteen pounds
six ounces of butter in seven days when
eighteen years and six months; Coun
tess of Lakeside 1886, nineteen
pounds and seven ounces when four
teen years and one month Elsie oil
Lakeside 10245, sixteen pounds aud
I ten ounces when thirteen years anC
two months; Daisy Dell 1862, four
teen pounds and nine ounces wher
thirteen years and five months; Blot
of St. Lambert 5112, fifteen pounds
and four ounces when six years anC
six months; and Massena 25732, wher
fifteen years ofage, produced one hun
dred and forty five pounds eight anC
one half ounces of butter in sixty on'