Part 2

Fifty years ago there was dawning upon the world the first ray of a great discovery. A star was rising in the agricultural world, which was about to shed new light, and like many other valuable discoveries, it was made by one among the lowly, and partly by chance. The author of this new discovery has said, “Error flies with the rapidity of lightning, all obstacles vanish before it. Truth, on the contrary, is admitted coldly, often even with doubt, suspicion, and distrust.” It is owing partly to this, partly to the fact that this new light was given to the world when the mind of farmers were not ready to _receive_ new ideas of progress as they now seek them, and much to the fact that it was the invention of a foreigner described in a foreign tongue. True a translation of it was made through the medium of an American monthly magazine of agriculture; but it was one of limited circulation. At that time the number of periodicals devoted to that interest was few, and such new and important questions were not thoroughly discussed and the knowledge of them placed in every farm-house in the land, as it is at the present day. Shortly after the appearance of M. Guenon’s treatise in the magazine, it was reprinted in book form, and received the large circulation of sixty-five thousand copies, between that time and now, and the book most probably sells better to-day than it did then. By many who procured that book the subject was studied, and advantage taken of its revelations, being stored away in the reader’s mind for actual practice. By the great majority it was read, but not studied; driven from it by the apparent complications of the system and the two hundred sub-divisions of it; by many, perhaps, it was attempted to be put into practice, but without their having given the subject that close investigation which was needed to prove the system correct. It was mostly by this class of persons, because the system was not found to be infallible, that it was denounced and given up, even by men otherwise intelligent; as if anything human could be infallible. Thus it is that by the ignorant its revelations were received with incredulity, and by many of the intelligent with doubt; but to the earnest seekers after practical information, it has unfolded a mine of wealth, and they have proved the system by continuous experience, and found it to be the most reliable mode of judging of the value of every member of the bovine species.

It was a happy thought that suggested itself to the Pennsylvania State Board of Agriculture, to have the system tested by uninterested parties. But extremely difficult, it was, to obtain persons to make the test. For those to whom application was made declined it on various grounds, principally because, as Guenon himself has stated in his latest edition, many pretended savans would endeavor to throw ridicule upon it; many others would identify the gentlemen making the tests with it, as if it was their system that they were testing; while not a few still more narrow-minded, would think they were trying to humbug them. Thus it was difficult to fill the places, which offered neither honor nor profit.

It will be seen, by these extracts, that the Governor appointed three experts to test the system. This they did in the summer of 1878, examining two hundred cows, jotting down their opinion of the yield, quality, and time of each of them, and afterwards printing them alongside of the reports of their owners, so that the public could form their own estimate of the results of the examinations of the commission. They are here reprinted, to show how it was carried out. Particular attention is called to the examinations _of the blanketed cows_ in Thomas Gawthrop’s herd.

On M. Guenon and his System.

It is proper we should inquire into M. Guenon, and the origin and development of his system.

Monsieur François Guenon, a husbandman of Libourne, in France, was the son of a gardener, and followed for sometime his ancestor’s trade. He seems to have had a mind above those in his position. As we look at his portrait, he appears to have a clear eye, a cool head, great determination, firmness of character, a well-balanced mind, and with it all, a vigor of constitution which buoys him up, and enables him to over-ride obstacles. He says himself, he was of an observant turn of mind, fond of comparing things, and deducing consequences from what he learned by observation and comparison, particularly from the Book of Nature. Young, ardent and healthy, with the vivacity of his race, he felt himself destined for better things than those a gardener’s life would insure him. What wonder then that his eye was keen to see, his mind to grasp and analyze any new turn of thought that chance might throw in his way.

Like most self-made men, who have made their mark in life’s pilgrimage, he set himself to work to improve himself—to acquire that which would expand his mind, and fit it to receive any new inspiration, and be able to develop it. He studied the works of the best writers on botany and agriculture; and applied his knowledge by following up all the ramifications of the vegetable kingdom, and studied their external signs, that distinguish the different sorts, and ascertained their qualities and productiveness.

In France, they have few fences, and the cattle of a neighborhood are driven to the grazing ground, and herded together, and, in turn, members of each or several families, (the younger portion,) are put to watch that the cattle do not stray out of bounds. Such companionship with their stock makes the owners fond of them, and they are treated as pets, and become very docile. When young Guenon was about fourteen years of age, he would drive their cow to graze. His cow he was very fond of, and could identify her among any number. She was a good milker.

The Escutcheon or Mirror.

In his authorized account of the discovery and perfection of his system, Guenon uses the following language: “When fourteen years of age, I used, according to country custom, to drive our only cow to the grazing ground. I was very fond of her, and could have identified her among ever so many. One day as I was whiling away the time in cleaning and scratching my old companion, I noticed that a sort of bran or dandruff detached itself in considerable quantities from certain spots on her hind parts, formed by the meeting of the hair as it grew in opposite directions, which spots I have since called _ears_, from the resemblance they often bear to the bearded ears or heads of wheat or rye. This first attracted my attention, and I recollected having heard my grandfather say that it was probable that there were external marks on cows whereby their good qualities or their defects might be known—just as we judge of the vital force of a plant and its qualities by means of its leaves and lines in its skin. Reflecting on the subject, I arrived at the conclusion that if in the vegetable kingdom there exists external signs, whereby the good and the bad qualities of a plant can be positively known, there ought to exist in the animal, or its kingdom, also, marks whereby we may judge, by inspecting an animal, of its qualities, good and bad, and I thought I had discovered one of these signs. I sought the bearded ears or quirls, and scratched those spots in quest of dandruff, the abundance or scarcity of this being what first engaged my attention. Every new cow was compared with my own as a standard, and her superiority, equality, or inferiority determined in my own mind. In the course of the comparisons thus instituted by me, with reference to the dandruff alone, which was at first the only thing that governed me, I had occasion to remark that great diversities existed among cows in respect to the shape of the bearded ears (quirls) which produced the dandruff. This suggested a new train of reflection and observation, which resulted in my becoming convinced that these _shapes_ were the signs by which to distinguish cows, and to know the good and bad qualities of every individual among them.”

In his original plan, Guenon divided these different shapes into eight classes, each of which was sub-divided into eight orders. As he progressed in his investigations, he afterwards added two more classes, and reduced the orders to six in each class. These he supposed would cover all cases which might come up for examination. He also divided cows into three grades, which, in accordance with their _size_, he styled high, low, and medium. From this it will be noted that Guenon, in classifying cows, was governed first by the class, second by the order in the class, and finally by their size. These _classes_ he divided and named as follows:

1st class, or Flanders. 2d ” ” Left Flanders. 3d ” ” Selvage. 4th ” ” Curveline. 5th ” ” Bicorn. 6th ” ” Double Selvage. 7th ” ” Demijohn. 8th ” ” Square Escutcheon. 9th ” ” Limousine. 10th ” ” Horizontal.

The ten orders in each of these classes were simply designated by their appropriate numerals. Each _class_ was better than the succeeding one, and each _order_ better than the following one of the _same_ class, but might be better than the preceding order of the _next_ class.

Of this seeming multiplicity of classes, orders, and sizes, Chalkley Harvey, one of the commission appointed to test the system, writes thus:

“Now this may seem somewhat discouraging to your readers, but with all due respect to Guenon, to whom all honor and praise should be accorded for his brilliant discovery, I think that it may be so simplified that every farmer, dairyman, and dealer can learn it all in a short time, and may find the study quite interesting. I began it laboriously, supposing that a mastery of all the details was necessary to make it of any use, but more than twenty years of constant application in practice has simplified it to my mind, and has added a little, I think, to the original discovery. The substance of Guenon’s discovery is that the milking qualities of any cow, of any breed, are indicated by an outward sign that all may see and easily understand. The hair on a cow, as on other animals, grows downward on the hind-quarters, but there is an exception to this rule on the back part of the udder, where it usually grows upward. The first lesson for a beginner is to notice this fact. Let him stand behind a quiet cow, and rub the hair on the udder both ways until he sees or feels just what I mean. Guenon called the surface that is covered by this upward growth the escutcheon; others have called it the milk-mirror; but this is no improvement in any respect, and I shall name it as Guenon did, for there is no real objection to that name, and there is serious objection to making confusion by calling the same thing by different names. The escutcheon, then, is that surface on the cow’s udder where the hair grows upward. But it is not confined to the udder, it extends upward above the udder, often to the vulva, and outward upon the thighs on both sides of the udder. (See Flanders cow, class first, order first.) These escutcheons are different in size, in shape, and in quality, (quality means the quality of the skin, and of the hair growing on it,) and these differences indicate the different milking qualities of the cows, including quantity and quality of milk, and the length of time they will give milk after being with calf. On the edges of the escutcheon where the upward and the downward growths of hair meet, a feather is formed, and this is most conspicuous on the back part of the thighs where escutcheons extend that wide. If the hair is long, as it generally is in winter time, the observer can define the limits of the escutcheon better by applying his hand, and smoothing the hair to its natural place. He will now perceive that the hair on the escutcheon is shorter and softer than elsewhere, as well as turned upward in its growth, and sometimes nearly resembles fur.

“Let us now particularly consider the shapes and sizes of these escutcheons. There is one general shape to which they conform, and that is that they are wider below than above, and at or near the top of the udder they narrow in abruptly; some continue up as far as the vulva, and even above it, and others but a little distance above the udder. The size and shape of this upper part of the escutcheon is of less importance than that of the lower part, but both must be considered—the larger the escutcheon the better. All great milkers have very large escutcheons. In large ones the upturned growth often begins on the belly, in front of the udder, extends along between the teats and up the back part of the udder, over the whole width. Indeed, the udder is not wide enough for it, and it encroaches on the thighs, where we may find the hair having an upward growth on them, inside next the udder, beginning not far above the hock joints, and running up as high as the wide part of the escutcheon extends up the thighs, and which often terminates with corresponding curls in the hair at the outlines, and the higher up and wider these are apart the better. Though the extension of the escutcheon to the front part of the udder on the belly has been mentioned, that is not a matter of practical interest in ordinary cases. All that needs to be studied is plain to be seen by standing behind the cow. When the escutcheon is small, it does not reach the thighs, and often does not cover the whole of the back part of the udder. These differences in size can be distinguished at the first lesson taken in the cow-yard, and when that has been done, the next thing is to consider their shapes. A good escutcheon is symmetrical. The feathers on the two thighs are at equal distance from the middle line of the body, and extend up to equal heights on the back parts of the thighs. A broad and high escutcheon, (speaking now only of the lower broad part of it,) that is _alike on both sides_, certainly indicates a superior milker. There is nearly always another sign accompanying such an escutcheon, and that is one or two _ovals_ just above the hind teats, on which a _fine_ coat of hair grows downward. These may be large or small, may be one or two, and may be alike in size, or unlike, but they are always good signs. Two are better than one, and the larger and more uniform they are the better; they are almost always present on large and symmetrical escutcheons. No escutcheon is ever first class if it has not one or both, and one, at least, of good size. What constitutes ‘good size’ will be better learned by a few observations than can be taught by inches, and I want to leave something to the ingenuity of the learner, to make the study interesting.

“Now, let us consider the shape and size of that part of the escutcheon which I have spoken of as the upper part; that is, the narrow portion that has its base on the top of the lower and wider portions, and runs up toward the vulva. Sometimes, though very rarely, this does not exist at all. Sometimes it is broad, and extends all the way up, with perfect symmetry. Sometimes it terminates in a curved line, at a greater or less distance up; and, indeed, it may be seen of almost any shape. As a sign of excellence, the larger and more symmetrical it is, the better—but a good _lower_ part of the escutcheon is the main thing, and that, as a sign, can hardly be vitiated by any imperfection of the upper part. When the lower part is very good, there is usually uniformity in the part. A poor escutcheon is one that is small, or that is imperfect in form.”

The Progress of His System.

With his mind keenly alive to the pursuit of his investigations, he soon perceived the difference in the shape of these quirls or marks in the hair. We can imagine how, when he saw any cow with the same escutcheon as his own had, he would eagerly and closely question the owner, and then make his comparisons and deductions. Then, again, when he would see variations from his cow’s escutcheon, whether larger or smaller, though of similar shape, how he would study them over! When he would ask of the owner such questions, directed by his knowledge of the cow’s marks, the owner would stare, and think how the lad could know so well of _his_ cow. And then his secret exultation when the answers showed him that he had judged aright! We can imagine this young enthusiast going on, from step to step, filling up his leisure with his acquisitions of his new theory, which was becoming fact, and growing into a system.

From his first step of discovering the dandruff, its scarcity or abundance, to his noticing the great diversity existing among cows as to the shape of the bearded ears or quirls, and being convinced these shapes were the signs by which to distinguish cows, and then to make sure that the same mark might always be relied upon as a positive sign of the same perfection or defect; were all steps in the discovery that engrossed his whole mind. He gave up his trade, traveled about, visiting cattle markets, fairs, and stables. Conversing and cross-questioning all whom he could; fixing the results in his mind, and getting the classification shaped out. He talked with farmers, dealers, and veterinary men, ascertained their modes of judging of the points of an animal, and found they were all by their own favorite signs and marks. One looked to the udder, the horns, the hide, or the shape; others to the hair, the veins, or something else; but none judged by the signs which he had found out. All were uncertain. The most the best judges could do would be to guess rightly, perhaps, three times out of five, but none could tell how long a cow would milk. Perfecting his judgment he would visit the same places and the same cows several times in a year, to see how nature was operating upon the animals, and their changes of character in the different periods of gestation, their treatment and food.

Of course, he soon began to put his theories to practical value, and he dealt in cattle on his own account. This brought before him cattle from Holland, Switzerland, Brittany, and other countries. This improved his opportunities by proving to him that, no matter what country gave them birth, all individuals possessing the same marks belonged to the same class and the same orders; in short, that nature acted through uniform laws.

Imperfections and Tufts.

Variations would arise, from crossing two animals with different escutcheons, from some defect in marking at the birth, from lack of development, or from those freaks that nature sometimes plays. They always prove stumbling-blocks in forming the judgment on some animals, and furnish texts to the opponents of the system.

As Guenon continued his examinations, he found that his classes did not afford a place for all animals, or rather that there were occasionally to be found cows whose escutcheons while apparently belonging to one of these classes, had at the same time, certain distinguished features which he styled imperfect escutcheons. These Mr. Hazard, the secretary of the commission, described as follows:

“The perfect escutcheon of each Class is the one which is in Order No. 1. All variations from this are rated lower in the scale; these variations may consist of a smaller size, therefore, the escutcheon would not be so broad or high upon the thighs, nor so broad upon the vertical portion; they may consist of the lack of ovals, which would place them below the first order; they may consist of blemishes, which are tufts of hair growing alongside of the vulva, or below it; or they may consist of strongly marked imperfections, which may be cuts or slices taken out of the escutcheon; or, coarse, harsh, wiry hair on the back and upper part of the udder. Finally, they may be so decided as to place the animal among the bastards.”

Of the tufts, Guenon says all tufts encroaching on the escutcheon diminish its value, except the oval ones on the udder; that is to say, they indicate a diminished aptitude for yielding milk. The size and location of these tufts make the animals descend one or more orders in the classification. It is, therefore, important to attend to all the patches of descending hairs which lessen the size of the escutcheon, whether these occur in the middle of it or form indentations on the sides. These indentations, partly concealed by the folds of the skin, are sometimes perceived with difficulty. Many cows, which at first glance appear to be well-marked, on close examination display their deficiencies, and want of this scrutiny often causes mistakes in estimating the value of cows, and thus the system suffers.

Guenon says the cause of the defects, as exhibited by the tufts on the thighs, is that the veins situated beneath, on either side of the belly, have a peculiarity; that they are contracted, and there is a small opening for it where it pierces the abdominal muscles.

Sometimes there is an intermingling of two forms of escutcheons. This depends upon the crossing between a cow of one class and a bull of another. This is one of the difficulties to be encountered in precisely estimating the value of the animal.

Guenon classified the seven tufts, into two kinds: Those on which the hair ascends, and those on which it descends. Those with ascending hairs are simply traces which encroach on the descending hair outside the escutcheon, either on one side or beneath the vulva. Those with the descending hair are on the escutcheon, and are five in number.

1. _Epi ovale_, oval tuft. These are situated on the udder, like those on class one, two, three, four, order first. They are good signs, if of descending fine hair, small, and regular. They are mostly seen on only the best cows, though occasionally to be met with in some of the lower orders.

2. _Epi fessard_, ischiatic tuft. These are found on the vertical escutcheon on one or both sides of the vulva, as in class four, five, orders two, three, four; and very conspicuously in the bastards of class three, four, five, six. They are of ascending hair, and never seen in first class cows, but in most others to a limited extent.

3. _Epi babin_, lip-shaped tuft. This is only seen as a sign of deterioration in the two first classes; it is made by descending hairs, and is a defect for milking qualities. It is like a string hanging over the top of the vulva, and making its outline a little below it on each side. It is seldom seen.

4. _Epi vulvé_, vulvan tuft. This is also a deteriorating sign; is a tuft of descending hair directly under the vulva, as in class one, orders three and four.

5. _Epi batard_, perinæal tuft. This is always a bad mark, as it exists on otherwise good marked cows, and indicates a diminution of milk, as soon as the cow becomes pregnant. It is seen on class one, bastard. A cow is to be looked upon with suspicion that has this mark largely developed.

6. _Epi cuissard_, thigh tufts. These are diminutions of the escutcheon by encroachment of descending hair, and denote a diminishing of the quantity of milk, proportionate to their extent. See class one and two, order four.