[Illustration: FRANCIS GUENON.]
HOW TO SELECT COWS;
OR
THE GUENON SYSTEM
SIMPLIFIED, EXPLAINED, AND PRACTICALLY APPLIED.
BY
WILLIS P. HAZARD,
_Secretary of the Pennsylvania Guenon Commission; President
of the Chad’s Ford Farmers’ Club; a Vice-President of the
American Dairyman’s Association; Lecturer upon Agriculture at
the Delaware State College, &c., &c.; Author of Treatises “On
the Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney Cow,” and “On Butter and
Butter-making;” “The Annals of Philadelphia,” &c._
[Illustration]
WITH NEARLY 100 ILLUSTRATIONS
_Photographed from Guenon’s engravings._
PHILADELPHIA:
J. M. STODDART & CO., 1018 Chestnut Street.
1882
COPYRIGHTED
ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS
1879.
PREFACE.
The want has long been felt for a hand book which would simplify and
explain the invaluable discovery of Guenon, to enable any one to select
good stock. There can be no doubt if this discovery is made to be easily
acquired, that millions of dollars would be saved to the community by the
improvement of herds and a consequent reduction in the price of bovine
products, on account of the increased yield and the lower cost of raising
it.
The State of Pennsylvania, in 1878, appointed a commission to test the
system and report upon it. As a member of that commission, we found
there was with many a superficial knowledge of the subject, with others
enough acquaintance with the system to destroy their faith in it, and
with nearly all a desire to obtain sufficient practical knowledge of the
system to enable them to judge understandingly and to practice it.
With a view to fill these wants, we have undertaken the explanation
of the system in the following pages to enable all to fill up their
measure of knowledge of the system, so that the superficial shall become
thorough, the doubting acquire new faith, and all see its merits _the
more they practice and apply it_.
We have accordingly given a sketch of M. Guenon and the progress of
his discovery; some extracts from his preface explaining his views; an
explanation of his system of escutcheon marks; a description of the
various escutcheons and their indications of value and quantity, and
directions how to practically apply them, together with the report of the
Pennsylvania Guenon Commission.
Believing that we have thus presented a comprehensive view of this
discovery, we trust every one into whose hands this work may come, will
patiently, book in hand, go into the farm-yard and judge of the value
of his stock by the rules here set forth, compare the results with his
individual knowledge of his stock, and fairly estimate the value of the
system.
The illustrations of the escutcheons are photographed from Guenon’s
drawings in his last revised edition.