THE GUENON MILK ESCUTCHEON THEORY,

Otago Witness, Issue 2689, 27 September 1905, Page 8

THE GUENON MILK ESCUTCHEON THEORY,

(From "Economies in Dairy Farming," by Ernest Mathews.)

The escutcheon or milk mirror, is found on the udder and tffighs. It is formed My hair growing on the udder and thighs m a contrary direction to the surrounding hair. It is found on all horned stock, but on some is more distinctly seen than on others. The first to call attention to it was a Frenchman named Francois Guenon. lie was the son of a gardener, and was born about the beginning of the last century-. Like many a cottager's child m this country, one of his early tasks was to tend his father's cow, and while- doing so, cleaning and scratching her— she being .a. pet and a good milker— he noticed that dand- '■ ruff fell in considerable quantities from ; certain parts of the udder and thighs where the hair growing in opposite- directions met. . This led him to examine the neighbours cows, and, after several' years of long and patient observation, he was able to systematise his theory of the escutcheon. He claimed to be able to tell, from an examination of the " escutcheon, how much milk a cow would give and the length' of time she ought to remain in milk. Presumably, however, that was witb a particular breed of cows; whose average yield of milk he would know. Without going so far as this, there is no doubt that tho escutcheon, when well developed, is a sign that the cow will yield the maximum of milk of her particular breed; while an escutcheon of the same order, but witb faults in, it, will denote an animal of inferior milking capacity. To return to Guenon. He gave a public test of the value of his theory before the Academy of Bordeaux in 1827, and .ilso before the Agricultural Pociety of Aurillac in 1637, the results of which trials were so surpi-isiD? that the former society gave him their gold medai, and. distributed 1000 i copies of their full report among all the agricultural societies of France. He was eventually granted a pension of 3000 francs a year by the French GovernS raent, after giving a remarkable proof of j the 'value of his theory, by gauging the worth of a lot of cattle in the presence of 50 of the .most eminent agriculturists, his estimates being correct, in all but one, of the quantity of milk; in all but one of the period of lactation; and again, in all but one, of the quality of the milk. His system has since that date been further tried, a commission to investigate and test the "Guenon, milk escutcheon theory" having oeen appointed by the Ucmmon wealth of Philadelphia in 1878, which, aitei having examined 200 cows, published their report as follows : The Pennsylvania Guenon Commission

. . . report that "they have examined 200 cows, heifers, and bulls, and tho result of their examinations has been to convince themselves and -ethers of the merits of the system, of its -exceeding value to the practical farm-ar ; and they believe that if generally followed for 20 years, the value of the neafe cattle of the State would Le increased vastly, the amount of milk and butter produced would be much larger, and the quality of both articles better, while the quality of the meat rould be improved., t ... As an adjunct to previous knowledge '<5 assfsE purchasers or breeders of cattle in getting of raising the best, and weeding out tho poorest, they think it is worthy of being acquired by every farmer. . . • Any intelligent, man can readilj master the- system, and soon become proficient in it by praotice. This knowledge, applied with the tests heretofore usually used, will enable anyone to become a good judge of cattk."f The *?scutobeop, to put it shcrtly, ig an

* "How to Select Cows on the Guenon System," by Hazard, published by T JJ. Stoddart and Co.. Philadelphia, 1879,

indication of what a cow should yield, and its value consists in the 'ad that from it the dairy properties of an animal may he forecast while it :s still a calf. This value, nevertheless, can be .seriously affected, if not altogether 1 dj^troj'od, by bad management. A heifer with the -c-ry host escutcheon can bo ruined as a milker by being overfed when young. This will ex-

plain why in some cases a bad aairy cow may be fovnd with a gocd escutcheon, which, but for such explanation, inigJix throw doubt on ihe theory. As was .sikl before, tho weutcheon. is formed by iho different way the upward and downward hair grows on the udocr and thighs. , , , It la not always ea^y to s-co tho escutcheon when a cow has a fine ekin, or ;n the summer months whri the coat is at its best, but it can always be felt by passing the hand over it, as the upward growth ol hair which forms the escutcheon can easily bo distinguished from the descending hairs. The escutcheon markings on tho thighs are easily learnt, but those which go up the back of the udder, which are more difficult to appreciate, have S l^. l^ tlle names and classifications to the different orders which Guenon framed. The Thigh Escutcheon.— ln judgmg_tlie value of this escutcheon, it must be noted that (1) the highsr up and the wider on the thigh the markings extend the better it is ; (2) the escutcheon on both sides should be symmetrical. The general rules drawn from the horizontal escutcheon are as follows:— The higher up on the thighs t-he markings extend the longer will the cow remain in milk. The wider th© "markings on the thighs th© larger will be the yield of milk. These two points should 1 be thoroughly grasped. The lower down the markings of the horizontal escutcheon &re on the thigh,

and the narrower they are in width, the shorter will be the- period of lactation and the smaller the yield of milk. The accompanying drawing shows the shape of a good thigh escutcheon, to understand which it must be assumed that the skin of the udder and thighs is laid out straight. „_, „ . The Vertical Escutcheon.— The vertical escutcheon, as was said above, is that part of tho escutcheon which runs up the back of the udder. It varies in shape and appearance, and from these different forms Guenon classified his different orders. The value of the vertical escutcheon seems to lie in the fact that" it explains why the quantity of milk as, in oertam cases, not so much as it ought to be, if only the horizontal marks were taken into account. To illustrate this, the horizontal escutcheon taken by itself may foretell a large and prolonged flow of milk, but a mark in lie- vertical part may show that the milk will fall off directly the cow gets into calf. Classification of Escutcheons.— Guenon divided the escutcheons into different classes, all of which were based on the shapes of

the vertical markings, and +licse classes were again &üb-dividcd Into orders, the perfect escutcheon of each class being called tho first order.

It will be sufficient here to give an example of the best escutcheon of esch class, bearing in mind that, as tlio vertical and horizontal markings are k=s developed, so tho value of the annual as a. milking machine is depreciated.! The vertical escutcheon markings arc divided into 10 clashes, winch aie as follows:

(1) The Fiandrine. — This is a broad band of ascending hair, running from the top of the horizontal escutcheon right up Lhc back of the udder to tha vulva. The thigh markings in this class are very rarely broad. The dividing lino between the ascending and descending hair should not be marked by coarse hairs, this being a bad sign.

j Report of the Pennsylvania Guenon Commission, 1878. X For fuller information on these different classes, the reader is referred to "How to Select Cows on th. Guenon System," by Hazard, published by J, M. Stoddart and Co., PliiladelDhia, 1679.

If tho band is broken off short, or narrowed and encroached upon by patches of descending hair, the escutcheon will come into one <>f the inferior orders of this olass, and the animal will correspondingly Le found to be an inferior milker.

Ihcse remarks apply equally to every class, and show that oare is necessary to classify correctly all tho various markings (Guonon's 10 classes being divided into four orders, making a total cf at least 40 ciiffei cnt markings). (2) The Left j'landrine.— A band similar la the last, but only half the width, and tunning up tho left side of the udder. (5) The Selvege.— A narrower band, which., starting fairly broad irom the horizontal escutcheon, narrows as it goes up the back of the udder. In all thcsD tiu-.-e olasses. and in that of the double selvcqe mentioned below, thi vertical marks should reach up io the vulvi. (1) Tho Cnrveline.— A curved figure rising from tho horizontal escutcheon, and running a short distinc© up the back of the udder.

(5) The Bicorn.— This is in form rather Jike a double selvege (the next escutcheon to be represented), only that the narrow b:nids are cut off in the middle, and afterwards appear again in the form of two luffs

on either side of the vulva. It is called the bicorn from the shorter markings talcing the form of two horns. 16) The Double Selvege.— This is an extension of the bicorn, only that the horns are not divided, but continae up the whole length of the perinseum, and the space between, the horns encroaches on the horizontal escutcheon. This is not often Jtet with.

(7) The Demijohn. — This is rather like a cuiveline andl fielvege, the vertical markii gs, however, only extending a short way up the back of ths udder, and being then cut off square. It has similar tufts to the bicorn.

(8) The Square Escutcheon. — Like tl-e demijohn, only that a narrow band of ascending hair goes off from, the top of the escutcheon to the left.

(9) The Limousine.— This is like an isosceles triangle running up from the horizontal escutcheon, and has the same tufts as the bicorn.

(10) The Horizontal Escutcheon.— This is simply a thigh escutcheon, without any vertical markings. The tufts are similar to those in the bicorn. In all the drawings given with the different escutcheons only the perfect development of each order is supposed to be shown ,• and as th© descending- hair encroaches on the ascending hair, reducing

and otherwise disfiguring the symmetry, so the value of the escutcheon of the parkoular order will be diminished.

Of the 10 orders, those most commonly seen are th© fiandrine, left flandrine, selvege, eurveline, limousine, and the bicorn ; but the other four orders should not be passed over, as otherwise good animals may be oerlooked.

—Tufts and Ovals.—

Apart from the shape of the Escutcheon there are other pcculuntias which add to or detract Cram the A^alue of the varkus escutcheons, -niich were called by Guenon tu^ts and cvals.

These, as their name implies, are tufts of hair and cvals of hair, which, sometimes on and sometimes off the escutcheon, must be thoroughly learnt, as a mistake in them may bo productive of great disappointment to the ignorant buyer. Tho two good tufts are as follows: —

(1) The Oval Tnfts.— These are two ovab of deso sndino- hair on the back of the ucVcr, on that part of it covered by tho horizontal markings. They are only found on the best cows. The hair in the ovals should be fine.

(2) The Mesian Tuft.— This is a tuft of ascending hair, in shape like a V, which haugs down beneath tho vulva. It is one of the besc marks, and is usually found on cows with tho curveline, biccrn, limou-

• she, and demijohn, types. It must not be mis-taken for a similar-shaped tuft of descending hair, which is described later, and is a bad mark in a flandrme. ITlie bad tufts are five in number : — (3) The Lip-shaped Tuft.— This is a lino of descending hair which hangs over and

down the vulva on both sides. It is only seen in the fiandrine and" left fiandrine orders

(4) Tho Vulvan Tuft.— This is exactly contrary to the mesian lift described' above, the hair growing in a downward! direction.

(5) Isehiatic Tuft.".— These are large round) or oval tufts of descending hair on each, or sometimes only on one, side of the vulva, and niitst not be confounded with tho small tufts that form part of the bicorn, deaiijc.hn, limousine, and squire orders. These bad ' tufts are generally found in those orders where tho vertical markings do not roach tho vulva. . . (6) The PeririEeal Tuft.— This is an c.^al of descending hair, which :s found on tljes markings of tho fiandrine ordar. Iho "iscbidtic" and "permjeal tufts are found only in the worst cows, and are called by Guonon "BatarcV or bastards. These markings are easily seen, and era discernible when the animals are quite; young, so that it is an easy matter to draft them from the herd. Both of these blemishes indicate the same faults— viz., that although the cattle having them may give promise of being good milkers, they will fall off in the : r milk yield directly tlvoy get into the culf. Ths "perinseal" tuft is only fcen in cows with tlandriao escutcheons, and th 3 isehiatic tufts in all the other classes.

(7) Thigh Tufis.— Theso are simple encroachments of de-icendmg- hair on the horizontal part of the escutcheon, wh'eh, by diminishing tho escutcheon in width, detract from the milking properties of the animal.

I have g-one- very fully into these different markings, and have used the same terms that Mr Hazard has used in his book on the subject, preferring them to the French names given to them by Guenon. It may occur to my readers that the knowledge sained from mastering the escutcheon theory is' *iot at all commensurate with the labour spent in. acquiring it, as there are so many different orders, classes, and other marks that th© liabilities of making mistakes are many. If the difference between the horizontal and vertical markings is first clearly understood, and then the different classes are learnt, the various tufts, ovals, and imperfections will soon be- appreciated, as they will iorco themselves on the not^-e of the beginner who is trying to classify the escutcheon. If the reader will only iaks this book in his hand, and try and find cut the class and order to which any particular cow be may be looking at belongs, he will soon find tho other marks d&sorihed. The ability to see the osculclmmii at r glance is of great value when buying dairy stock, as the expeit will look cut for bad markings almost before he considers anything ehe. The knowledge of escutcheons, too, i& most useful to the breeder, as he will be able to draft out tlwe calves which have bad markings, and to reserve for tho herd! those which promise to be good dairy cows.

At the risk of repetition, it cannot ba too strongly impressed upon the student that the escutcheon is only a sign of what; a cow should be ablo to yield; because the. animal with the best escutcheon possible may have all its milking qualities destroyed by being overfed when a calf, as my experience is that this will spoil the most promising dairy animal. Escutcheons are also seen on bulls, ih& horizontal, i urvelins, and limousine being thos»e most usually found. The thigh markings on a bull should be a sine qua non, and it is important to see that they are even and well 'developed; while the moro pronounced the vertical escutcheon the better.

A bull descended from a good milking dam will generally have a better escutcheon' than one from a moderate cow, showing 1 that the milking qualities are transmitted through the male animal.

One other proof of the value of the escutcheon is within the grasp of any breeder if he will be honest to himself.

Let him take the milk records of several of his cows for a year, and then go into his cowsheds and compare the yields and length of time the cows have been respectively in milk with the escutcheon markings, and he will find that -he best cows have the best escutcheons, and that the various markings are good indications of the milk fielded.

If ho at the same time examine the markings on his heifers — provided, of course, that they have been brought up for th© herd and not been overfed — aaid makes notes of the same, he will, I think, not be disappointed with the theory when those heifers subsequently come into the milking herd.

The economy of breeding and keeping gocd dairy cattle is obvious. One example will make this clear. The differanee _in value between the milks of two cows giving respectively 500 and 700 gallons of mjjl::,

worked out at 8d per gallon, leaves a sum. of £6 13s 4-d in favour of the heavier milker. Assuming the food in each case to be the Fame, as on most farms it would be, it will be seen that; the loss is even more than the difference shown.

To improve milking stock should be the object of Ibe dairy farmer, but this can only be done by observing some such rules as follows: —

Only keep the best cows, and use bulls descended from the best milking dams. Select the calves with the best esoutjbheons, and do not overfeed them. Weigh all the milk and record the same against each cow, and, where butter is made, test ihe value of each cow for buttermaking by the churn. . Do not discard heifers with their nrst calf because they do not milk as well as seme of the cows, as frequently those heifers that yield too well with their first calves turn out weak in constitution. Never exhibit any heifer intended to be kept for the dairy in the inspection classes at any agricultural show, as she will be <nerfed and spoilt to a oertainty. If rules suoh as these adopted by breeders of dairy stock, and the idea of breeding general-purpose cows given up, it would, I believe, he quite possible to largely increase th© milk and butter yields of our dairy cattle, no matter what breed they belonged to. The great difficulty that almost impedes the in-T>reeding theory, •which is the weli-knowp recipe to secure "prepotency," lie.3 in the danger of fostering'tuberculosis, which is more frequently found where in-breeding has been practised." This is a problem that must be faced by the dairy farmer, who should leave no stone unturned iv his "attempts to *lye it, or at anyrate so to reduce it by careful mating of his animals that in-breeding canmot be said to be the cause. Only by breeding from good dairy stock on both sides can an.* improvement be 3ookc<? for in our milking herds, and to do this the peculiarities of the good milking ccw" must be thoroughly studied, the escutcheon theory mastered, and the ancestry ol the parents 'on both sides ascertained ; but even" then, unless the feeding and bringing up of the young stock is intelligently carried out, all previous work may be rendered {perfectly useless.