442 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



points to be observed in selecting dairy cows. If during my talk there 

 are any questions you would wish to ask I will be glad to answer them 

 for you. 



There are five essential points that must be present in the make-up 

 of any cow if she be highly productive, and the absence of any one of 

 these points is proof that the cow is either not productive or that she 

 will not remain productive over a long period of time. These points 

 may be enumerated as constitution, capacity, nervous temperament or dis- 

 position to work, blood circulation and the ability to convert feed nutri- 

 ents into milk and butter-fat. Considering these, one at a time, it is 

 always well to begin at the head. 



Constitution is indicated, first by large nostrils. Nothing purifies the 

 blood except oxygen and no oxygen ever reaches the lungs and comes in 

 contact with the blood except through the air which the animal breathes. 

 If the nostrils are small the amount of air is limited or the cow must 

 breathe twice as rapidly as if her nostrils were larger. The respiration 

 of cows is practically the same. Therefore, cows with small nostrils do 

 not take into their lungs the same great amount of fresh air and oxygen 

 that cows with larger nostrils do. Passing back it is desirable that the 

 cow be deep from the top of the shoulder to the floor of the chest, well 

 sprung in the front ribs and deep in the heart girth. A cow that is shal- 

 low in the chest and heart girth and slab sided in the front ribs is con- 

 sidered lacking in constitution. It should be remembered that the dairy 

 cow is an extremely hard worked animal. A cow that will produce in one 

 year 18,000 pounds or even 10,000 pounds of milk has accomplished more 

 in providing food for mankind than three or four steers working the same 

 length of time would have done. Because of the fact that she works as 

 persistently as she does and that she is stabled six or eight months out 

 of each year in a barn which is too often cold, dark, damp and poorly 

 ventilated, where she is subjected to disease germs of tuberculosis, cow 

 pneumonia, garget, contagious abortion and other diseases, it is absolutely 

 necessary that all indications of rugged constitution be well developed. 



In Iowa and in other states where I have traveled it is very seldom 

 that more than one or two very small windows are to be seen even in 

 great, magnificent farm barns that have been built at great expense. It 

 should be realized that whenever barns are built and boarded up tight 

 without windows or fresh air ducts the light, sunshine and fresh air, 

 which cost nothing and are absolutely essential to maintain the cow's 

 health and make it possible for her to do her best work, are shut out. 



The next point for consideration is capacity. Beginning again at the 

 head, you will notice on this cow the extremely large mouth. Any ani- 

 mal with a large mouth is a good feeder. I have never seen an animal 

 with a small mouth that was a good feeder. Just as truly as it is nec- 

 essary for a cow to consume large amounts of food in order to prove her- 

 self profitable it is necessary that her mouth be well distended an/1 large. 

 Passing back, the body should be long from the shoulders to the hip 

 bone. The ribs should be well sprung and deep giving dimensions for 

 a large capacity or storage room, namely, length, breadth and depth. 



