26 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



develop animals along one particular line to a high degree, but 

 when you try to develop them along two lines, neither of those 

 qualities will, as a rule, become highly developed. So after we 

 have selected a dairy breed, we may find that there are Jersey 

 cows and Jersey cows, and there are Guernsey cows and Guern- 

 sey cows, and that they are not always on a par by any means. 

 A\'e find that there are a good many Jerseys with quite a good 

 deal of the beefy tendency. They are squarely built behind and 

 do not taper out to the front as the true dairy type should, and 

 they do not have very large barrels. The result is that they are 

 putting quite a good deal of their food into the production of 

 fiesh, and this you do not want if you are trying to get the 

 highest degree of dairy development. 



What you should look for in the true dairy type is an animal 

 that shows very little tendency to beefiness, is thin in the fore- 

 quarter, and has a large barrel. I mean by the barrel the middle 

 section of the animal. If this is large and protruding, deep 

 through from top to bottom and from side to side, then you have, 

 as the Scotchman expresses it, "an animal with a big gristmill," 

 an animal that is capable of taking a large amount of food and 

 converting it into milk. An animal with small abdominal 

 capacity will not use a large amount of food for milk production. 

 If the animal shows any tendency to beefiness the result will 

 usually be that she produces a large amount of milk for two or 

 three months after calving, then she begins to drop off rapidly, 

 and will want to go dry for three or four months of the year, 

 thus giving very little profit for about half of the year. The true 

 dairy type will be a persistent milker, giving not necessarily a 

 very large flow at the start but quite an even flow throughout a 

 large part of the lactation period. The nervous temperament of 

 the animal is another quality that should be looked for in the 

 true dairy animal. You will find that the animal of a beefy 

 tendency has a quiet, sleepy, easy disposition, a very quiet eye, 

 showing no tendency to nervousness. 



Briefly outlined, the true dairy type of cow has a sprightly eye ; 

 not necessarily a wild eye, but a bright, clear eye, and a slender 

 head with no tendencv to beefiness in the cheeks or under the 

 chin. She has a long, slender neck, very light fore quarters, the 

 middle section broadening out as you go back onto the body of 

 the animal with wide, full rear quarters. What does this mean ? 



