File:American homes and gardens (1912) (18152983125).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar91912newy (find matches)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening
Publisher: New York : Munn and Co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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30 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS January, 1912 milk. The thighs should curve well outward, to accommo- date such an udder. Of course, the family cow should be a healthy animal. All breeds are equally susceptible to bovine tuberculosis, and while the degree of the communicability of this disease to man is the subject of debate, no one would knowingly risk using the milk of an infected animal. The tuberculin test should be insisted on before purchase, and even then pur- chase should be made only from a reputable breeder or dealer, as animals may be "plugged"—i. e., the tuberculin may be injected a short time before the test so that the ani- mal may not react to it. A healthy animal, kept for family use in sanitary surroundings, is not apt to contract the dis- ease. Some of the dairy breeds are of more delicacy of build than others, but it should be remembered that delicacy of conformation is not by any means the same as delicacy of constitution, nor does coarseness indicate strength. Beauty is a very desirable characteristic of any domestic animal, even the cow, and therefore is worthy of considera- tion, for beauty combined with utility should be the keynote of all our domestic economies. Enumerating what the family cow should be and what requirements she should fulfill raises the question, What breed possesses them in the highest degree? For it is to be presumed that the family cow is to be a thoroughbred, not a nondescript or mongrel. The various breeds of dairy cattle have been developed under different circumstances, and with somewhat different purposes in view, and each of them, therefore, although possessing much in common, has distinct characteristics. Some breeds of cattle have been bred for generations for the production of beef; on the other hand, the various dairy breeds have been bred as producers of milk, or butter, or cheese, and one or all of these it is the function of the family cow to provide. The four prominent breeds of dairy cattle are the Holstein, Ayrshire, Guernsey and Jersey, the last two being known as the Channel Island breeds. In size and weight these breeds run in the order in which they are mentioned, the Holstein being larg- est and the Jersey smallest. The big Holstein is a showy animal in the pasture, from her clear black and white map-like markings. A native of the lush, damp, bottom-lands of Holland, she likes a cool climate and level pastures, and has not been found well suited to warm climates and hillside grazings. She is a very heavy milker when fresh, is very popular with raisers of market milk, the low percentage of solids natural to Hol- stein milk not being a detriment when milk is sold with re- gard to quantity only. The Ayrshire has long been the favorite dairy cow of Scotland, where she has had to find her living on wide ranges of hilly pasture. This has made her a good rustler where there is plenty of scope for her activity, and she fits in where the Holstein is not so suitable. Her advocates claim for her cheapness in the production of milk solids, "toughness" and "ruggedness." Ayrshires have usually much white on them, with straight backs and prominent horns. The Channel Island breeds, the Jersey and the Guernsey, have much in common, and their qualities are such as to par- ticularly recommend these breeds for the family cow. Both give rich milk and have been developed in close intimacy with the family on small farms, attended to mainly by the women on the small islands whose names distinguish these breeds. The Guernsey is red and white in color, and some- what larger and more heavily built than the Jersey. Her advocates claim her to be a cheap, or economical, producer of butter-fat. Her milk is of a rich yellowish color, caused by a natural pigment, which is harmless, but adds nothing to the nutritive value of the milk. A dairy authority of national reputation has said that the Jersey is one of the most beautiful animals ever developed by man. She is of various shades of fawn color, with more or less white markings; but many are entirely solid colored. The young animals are deer-like in their grace and beauty. Their friends claim much more than beauty for the Jersey, however, and in great public competitive tests they have been declared the most economical producers of milk for all purposes, and also of butter-fat. Many consider the Jersey the ideal family cow, as well as being the best all-round dairy animal. She is well fitted by size and disposition for the circumscribed area of the home pasture and the home sur- roundings, and is a very persistent milker. The advocates of all the breeds claim special points for them as dairy animals, and doubtless each breed has its place and profitable herds of all may easily be found. A dairy paper has tabulated the qualities of the dairy breeds, as demonstrated in public trials, which is condensed below. Flavor of dairy products depends on the feed of the cow, cleanliness in handling her products, and her health, and not on breed. COMPARISON OF DAIRY BREEDS. Size Ability to Rustle Early Maturity Quantity of Milk Color of Milk Richness of Milk Holstein Ayrshire Guernsey Jersey Ayrshire Jersey Guernsey Holstein Jersey Guernsey Ayrshire Holstein Holstein Ayrshire Guernsey Jersey Guernsey Jersey Ayrshire Holstein Jersey Guernsey Ayrshire Holstein Size is not an important consideration in the dairy cow, and great size is rather a detriment than otherwise in the family cow. Allowing four counts for first place in the other columns, three counts for second place, two counts for third, and one count for fourth, they sum up as follows: Jersey, 15; Guernsey, 14; Ayrshire, 13; Holstein, 8. Although people usually like best the breed they have been most used to, the acknowledged beauty of the Jersey in con- formation and coloring is an important addition to her other qualities, and warrants a column in any comparison table.
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TfcS*"-- This shows a typical Guernsey cow of finest breed A typical Jersey cow of pedigree, bred in America

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