J. E. Parker Cows & Horses

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I plan to post pictures of two Jersey milk cows and one of my Dads horses grazing out in the field West of our home. You can see our cement silo and the corrals in the distance. There are three main breeds of milk cows I'm familiar with - - the Jerseys we had that are the smallest and give the richest milk. The next are Gurnseys that are reddish brown with some white - - then the Holsteins, the largest breed that are black and white. Their milk isn't as rich but they give a lot more if it. My pioneer mother and I did nearly all the milking until I went in Military service. We milked from 15 to 20 head morning and night, 365 days of the year through "rain, snow, wind and gloom of night," as the saying goes. My brother Lynn said he started milking at about age 6, so I probably did as well. The Jersey Bulls tended to be more irritable and temperamental than the larger breeds. I've told some of you the incident when one of our mean bulls, named Alligator chased my Sister, Iris age about 13 when we'd gone to the pasture to bring them home for the evening milking. I was only 6. It was a terrifying experience. It was likely the hand of providence that saved her. Remind me some time if you haven't heard the full story. Alligator is a ferocious name for a Bull isn't it, but it fits this mean one. My Dad's Jerseys were all registered pure breds and as such had to be given a name. His dairy cows were some of the best in the State of Utah and were shown in both County and State Fairs.
You'll notice in the photo of one of the cows, it appears on the bottom right of the picture there's a new born calf. NOTE: I decided to add the picture of the Gurnsey cows. It appears they were at an auction or County Fair. We didn't own them.
FAY S. PARKER
3-30-10