ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 443 



Size of barrel is an indication of the amount of food that the cow can 

 consume at one time, but with this consideration should also be consid- 

 ered the degree of thoroughness with which the cow digests and assimi- 

 lates her food. Any portion of the food which passes off undigested is 

 wasted, and worse than wasted because it taxes the cow's digestive appar- 

 atus without producing any gain. The strength and power of a cow's 

 digestive apparatus is indicated to a large degree by the character of the 

 hide and hair. 



You have all noticed in the show rings the judge lift up the hide and 

 hair with his hand. It is impossible for him to look into the cow and 

 determine the character of her digestive system, but he can turn his face 

 away and by the touch or handling qualities of the hide and hair there 

 is conveyed to him by his sense of touch as indicated hy the hide and hair 

 the condition of the inner and vital organs of the cow. In other words, 

 the hide and hair is an outward continuation of the inner organs of the 

 beast. If the hide is hard and stiff or the hair wiry and harsh then there 

 is something wrong either temporarily or permanently with the cow's 

 digestive apparatus. If the cow's hide is soft and pliable, covered with 

 hair that is oily, soft and silky then the indication is that her digestive 

 organs and her circulation are in good active condition and that she 

 will not only consume large amounts of food at one time but she 

 will digest it readily and thoroughly and soon be ready for another feed. 

 It is more desirable that a cow have a large body, yet a small barrel, 

 covered with hide and hair of the proper texture and handling qualities, 

 than a large barrel covered with a hide and hair of inferior quality. 



The two points, constitution and capacity, are both essential. 



The third point is the question of whether the cow is a worker or a 

 loafer. If you have been watching this cow you have noticed that she 

 has been working every minute since she has been up here on the stage. 

 Whenever a cow chews her cud she is working and the persistency with 

 which the cow eats and chews her 'cud is a good indication of her ner- 

 vous temperament. 



Another important indication is the size and character of the eye. 

 The cow's face should be broad between the eyes, well dished and her 

 eyes should be prominent, bright, placid and alert. The animal with 

 dull, sluggish eyes set back in the head is as a rule a loafer, standing un- 

 der the shade of a tree fighting flies in the summer time while her sisters 

 are grazing back and forth across the pastures gathering food for the eco- 

 nomical and profitable production of milk and butterfat. 



A further indication of the proper nervous temperament is the promi- 

 nent and open jointedness of the back bone. You will notice as I pass 

 my hand along this cow's back each of the spinal vertebrae stand out 

 prominently with absolutely no covering of beef or fat. This is an indi- 

 cation that every pound of food this cow has consumed, outside of what 

 has been necessary for her own maintenance, has been converted into 

 milk and butterfat. Were this a beef animal, right and ready for mar- 

 ket, you would find stored up and evenly distributed along her back from 

 2V 2 to 4 inches of fat or beef. Every pound of food consumed by the 



