The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-02-05
Staying Qualities of the Jerseys in the
worlds Fair Tests.

When the result of the first test conducted It
Chicago during the Worlds Fair was made
public much surprise was apparent at the
large How of milk OF the Jerseys, surprising
their near of kin the GuernScyS and even
their larger and supposedly heavier king
sisters the short Horns. There Were not lack
ing those who believed that during the fifteen
days of the test the Jerseys had shUnc mere
squirt" ana that, as they progressed further in
the other tests, th+Te would be material
shrinkage, both n III TX and the products from
same, and the result was eagerly awaited ~
those interested in the tests As the work pro-
gresSed it was apparent that the lead the Jer-
Eeys had secured ut the beginning would he
maintained. and the outcome not only verified
the claims of the Jersey breeders tn 1t their
favorites surpassed all other breeds in tenacity
but convinced the most skeptcal us TO the hold
ing qualities of the Jerseys rs breed.
The 80 days test began May 3lst ana ended
August 2Sth. A majority of the Jersey cows
had calved in the month of March, and at the
end of this test had been in milk over five
months. In the meantime they had passed
from the winter TO the spring, through the
spring into the summer, and almost through it,
They had been standing on dry floors all the
time, without exercise, and practically on dry
feed, as the cut clover given them part of the
time. being hauled over 100 miles, was of little
value save as corrective" and did not in
crease the product to any aDprecable extent
They had been subjected to the climatic
changes for which Chicago is famous, to the
annoyance of the hordes of flies that infest the
barns (the sand on which the barns were built
and by which they were surrounded afording
Il harbor for them, to the stream of visitors in
the barns, who were naturally interested in the
tests and to the other elements incident TO Il
great international fair, none of which were
calculated to maintain production, but, on the
contrary, to rapidly decrease it.
Notwithstanding these drawbacks. the Jer-
seys showed remarkable tenacity both i'll flow
OF milk and i'll butter. There were ind vidual
cows that, i'll the latter pat uf the 80 days test
tthe month of August, MIXED over 40 lbs per
day. Brown Bessie 1897 exceeded 40 lbs. OF
milk per day for 81 days out of the 2S, and
MIXED high 13 $40 lbs; Lily Martin
1854 MIXED 40 40 lbs: HucO's Countess
6S3Oi exceeded 40 lbs. i'll 81 hours eleven
times milking as high rs Is 40 lbs; Ida Mari
gold 326l5 gave on eight days uver4O lbs and
ton 56436 MIXED 10 2-1O lbs two days before
being stricken down with fatal sickness.
There were also number Of COWS making
over 21@ lbs. of butter in . hours, and which
made as high as 23-l0O lbs Ii was in this
month, from August 18th to both, that Brown
Bessie made her best consecutive seven DAYS
yield of butter, 30 1900 lbs. 1t may be
claimed that these are individual Yields and
are, for that reason. not characteristic Of the
breed. bat rather of the individual cows cited.
Unfortunately for the contention, the records
prove the reverse. as the milk yield of the Jcr-
seys was sustained throughout tine test to e re-
markable degree. The butter-yield was also
maintained. AT the beginning of the test the
average butter-yield was about = lbs. per cow
per day. During August the average was n ain
tained to within IL fraction, and on two days of
tie month surpassed it,
For these reasons no other conclusions can
be honestly reached than that the Jerseys prov
edthat tenacityin product is so fixed character
:stic of the breed that even the disadvantages
the COWS labored under in these tests could nor
nE