Guenon applied his discovery to bulls to great advantage. He found that bulls belonged to the same classes as cows, and had escutcheons similar, but much smaller; these extend from the testicles upward toward the anus. The importance of having a good bull becomes apparent when we reflect that he “gets” from fifty to one hundred, annually, while the cow is impregnated but once in the year. The escutcheons of the progeny of a cow with good escutcheon will be much improved if the cow is coupled with a bull well marked, and particularly if his escutcheon is the same as that of the cow. Better have the two of different breeds, but of similar or good escutcheons, than to have the bull with inferior escutcheon.

Of course, the higher up the escutcheon extends on a bull, and the broader it is, the better it is, but we must not look for bulls to be so well-marked as cows are, for they never are. To distinguish the bastard bulls from the good ones, observe if there are any streaks of descending hair, and mixing so as to be bristly. This indication will be a certain one in proportion to the size of the blemish, and as that is in proportion to the whole escutcheon.

Guenon says: After having described, as I have done, all the classes of cows, and taught to recognize the bastards, I pass to the characteristic signs of the bulls re-producers, which can also be divided into orders and classes; the signs are the same as for the females, but they are much more restricted and of less extent.

With the males the escutcheon commences on the inside below the hams and extends as far as the middle of the posterior surface of the leg, and extends sometimes even to the anus of the superior orders in certain classes.

Like that of cows, the escutcheon of bulls is modified by tufts.

The bulls whose escutcheons are similar in their form and size to cows of the first order, possess a great ability for procreating good milk cows, those on the contrary whose escutcheons are but little developed, produce only those of poor yield.

A bull will be well marked, and a good reproducer when there is no interruption of descending hair in the ascending hair on the escutcheon; when the shape of the escutcheon is of large dimensions in proportion to the size of the animal, and it is covered with very fine hair.

The bulls of which the escutcheon is small and covered with coarse hair and irregular on the sides procreate bad milk cows, which give serous milk.

All interruptions in the ascending hair of the escutcheon by encroachments of the descending hair on the right or left, in the lower part of the thigh, indicate for their get a lower grade, and at a glance the inferiority of the milk production.

The yellow or nankeen color of the skin of the escutcheon is always a favorable sign.

The good reproducing bull will prove fecund until ten or fifteen years of age, but it is a rare exception.

Any one may be grossly deceived if he judges only by the appearance or the shape of the prolific qualities of a bull. Experience or observation alone can show that he has maintained his early ability.

A vigorous bull, well fed, can serve one or more cows each day, but it is of great importance that he shall not commence to serve until he is fifteen or eighteen months old, otherwise he will be speedily exhausted and deformed. The improving mark of his cross and his vigor will be speedily shortened.

When the bull has attained the age of two and a half or three years, the form alters, the hind-quarters become attenuated, the front quarter becomes much enlarged, his neck enlarges and thickens, &c.

About this time, whether he is castrated or whether he is “twisted,” he preserves always the altered form of the bull, and is less sought for work, and in less request for butchering.

When the operations of castration and twisting are done too late, the animal has less predisposition to fatten; his flesh is harder and tougher; he is, however, in appearance in the same conditions of age, of quality, and of nourishment, as those castrated earlier.

Often bulls, whose character is docile and gentle, become wild and furious when they are used to serve.

In certain regions, to tame them, they put a ring of iron in their nose; in others, where the good use of these rings is not known, they are obliged to castrate or twist them. This operation suffices, generally, to control their passion; but, if not, they are sent to the butcher.

Classification of Bull Reproducers.

There are for bulls, as for cows, ten classes or families; each class sub-divided into several orders, and each order comprises three grades, high, medium, and low.

I only admit, in each class, three orders. If one wishes to proceed in the application with more rigor, he will follow the sub-divisions of the classification of the cows. I will designate the three orders of each class by the denominations of good, medium, and bad.

The signs indicating the qualities which render the bull likely to beget good milk cows are placed, like those of the female, on the posterior parts. They start from the bag, and rise up to the anus, covering, also, the genital parts, and the scrotum.

With bulls, the escutcheons start from the anterior part of the bag, extending inside, and upon the hams, projecting on the thighs; from there, the curved lines, obtuse or acute, following the class, joining to the right or the left under the anus.

The escutcheon, in all its extent, is shown by the fineness of the hair, and the skin; by the color, more or less yellow, of the epidermis, and of the particles of dandruff which can be detached.

The characteristic secondary signs of the females will also be found in the males.

Bulls, like cows, have four and, sometimes, six false teats, which are found before the bag, in the direction of the navel. These teats are small and short.

Starting from the bag, one notices to the right and the left of the stomach two veins resembling the two milk veins of cows. They are prolonged to and pass a little in the direction of the navel, and terminate in a small cavity.

Independent of the characteristic signs indicated above, the bull re-producers should unite all the essential conditions which in each locality constitute the type of the pure race. These conditions are:

1. The color of the hide preferred in that country.

2. A size proportioned to the race that they are to continue. A shape and a frame usually accepted.

3. To be of the first order in each class, easily showing the power of transmitting milking qualities.

4. Aptitude for fattening.

5. To be good for work.

6. To have a docile and patient character.

The evils of conformation, like the good qualities, are transmitted generally by the act of generation. If it does not have the ability to do this, one should quickly correct it.

Here the bovine race has been much neglected in all these respects. A judicious choice, and a scrupulous attention is not always prevalent in selecting a breeding animal; thus it results in a fatal re-generation, to which it is time to put a stop.

Before giving the distinctive characteristics of the ten classes of bulls, it will be useful to mention those classes which are oftener met in French and foreign races; and also those which are more rare.

The classes which are most distributed, and which present the greatest number of bulls, are in all races these three classes: 1. The Curved-line; 2. The Limousine; 3. The Horizontal.

The classes on the contrary, which present but a very small number of subjects are in the following order:

• 4. Demijohn.
• 5. Bicorne.
• 6. Square-cut.
• 7. Selvage.
• 8. Left Flanders.
• 9. Double Selvage.
• 10. Flanders.

The reason one finds so few good breeding bulls belonging to the first class, is first, the small number of such animals compared to that of cows; and next, the lack of knowledge of the best ones to keep. Oftentimes for want of this knowledge, the best bulls were castrated for oxen or for fattening, thus by chance, the poorest are often kept.

The best individuals have generally at birth, all the qualities which characterize a superior animal. They are easily kept and fattened, for the reason that their mother has much milk, and are soon ready for the butcher. Inferior animals, on account of a smaller supply of milk, are thin, and often malicious, of little value, and remain oftener in the hands of the owner. Thus are sacrificed the good bulls, and the bad are kept. Therefore, always select the choicest when they are young, to improve the race.

It will thus be seen, Guenon divided his bulls into three classes: The good, the mediocre, and the bad. He also divided them into three sizes: The high, the medium, and the low. But he makes no difference between the three sizes of bulls in his description of the escutcheon. He describes each one of the three principal orders, leaving to the practitioner to determine the intermediate degrees between the good and the mediocre, and between the mediocre and the bad.

We do not repeat his descriptions, as they are based upon those of the cows of the same classes, and the engravings tell the whole story. We reproduce the engravings of the good and mediocre. But very occasionally is one of the “rare” ones observed, but he says the Curved-line is the most usual, then the Limousine, and lastly the Horizontal. What we give is quite sufficient for all practical purposes. We advise all to carefully select their breeding animal, which will, in most cases, be from among what he calls the “mediocre.”