390 Home Naturej-Study Course. 



face short. The hne of the back is straight and the stomach Hne 

 parallel with it. Very different is the appearance of the milch cow. 

 Her body is oval instead of being approximately square in cross 

 section. The outline of her back is not straight, but sags in front of 

 the hips, which are prominent and bony. The shoulders have little 

 flesh on them, and if looked at from above, her body is also wedge- 

 shaped, widening from shoulders backward. The stomach line is not 

 parallel with the back bone, but slants downward from shoulders to 

 the udder. The following are the points that indicate a good milch 

 cow: Head wide between the eyes, showing large air passages and 

 indicating strong lungs. Eyes clear, large and placid, indicating 

 good disposition. Mouth large, with a muscular lower jaw showing 

 ability to chew efficiently and rapidly, and the neck should be thin 

 and fine, showing veins through the skin. Chest deep and wide, 

 showing plenty of room for heart and lungs. The abdomen should 

 be large but well supported and increase in size toward the rear. 

 The ribs should be well spread, not meeting the spine like the peak 

 to a roof, and the spine must be prominent, revealing to the touch 

 separate vertebrae. The hips should be much broader than the 

 shoulders. The udder should be large, the four quarters of equal 

 size and should not be fat. The "milk veins" which carry the blood 

 from the udder should be large and crooked, passing into the abdo- 

 men through large openings. The skin of the cow should be soft 

 and pliable and covered with fine, oily hair, showing good digestion 

 and assimilation. Above all the milch cow should be always hungry, 

 for she is a milk-making machine, and the more fuel (food) she can 

 use, the greater her production. 



The physiological habits of the beef and milch cattle have been 

 changed as much as their structure. The food given to the beef cow 

 goes to make flesh; while that given to the milch cow goes to make 

 milk, and she will not put on flesh while giving milk, however abun- 

 dant her food. Of course, there are all grades between the beef and 

 the milch types, for many farmers use their herds for both. How- 

 ever, if a farmer is producing milk it pays him well to get the best 

 possible machine to make it, and that is always a cow of the right 

 type. 



America has no wild cattle except the buffalo, and they have 

 never been domesticated, so we have brought the different breeds 

 from Europe. Cattle have played a most important part in our 

 civilization and wealth. In pioneer days the patient oxen were our 

 chief means of transportation and of clearing land. In many of our 

 Southern States to-day a common sight is two or three ox teams 



