II Sept.. 191 i.] 2^ Jie '• EsciitchcoH ": A. Guide to Milking Merii. 597 



and, among animals of those lines of breeding, the daily yield would neces- 

 sarily be higher than among those that had. been bred mainly for rich 

 quality milk. 



None of the other standard points of the typical dairy animal should 

 be overlooked when considering the possible milk-production of a cow or 

 heifer from its escutcheon. To attempt to appraise \'alue from this alone 

 would be anything but wise. A cow may have a good escutcheon, but, 

 if her eye and general appearance suggested a sluggish disposition, she 

 might be an unprofitable cow to buy. as she would prol)ably require special 

 feeding to keep her up to her work. Again, in some milking sheds, a cow 

 I'f nervous temperament might Ix? subjected to conditions which would 

 result in her not milking to anything like her full capacity, as well as dry- 

 ing off much before her natural time; whereas, under more favourable con- 

 ditions, she would give complete satisfaction. The two-year-old heifer in 

 Fig. 22 is of a most nerxous disposition, which probably accounts for her 

 drying off much before the time indicated by her escutcheon. This heifer's 

 mother was also not satisfactory on her first calving, but improveS quickly 

 afterwards. 



The growth of an animal must always be given consideration when esti- 

 mating her maximum yield. A cow may .show nice dairy type in many 

 sections; but if she has not a robust frame and capacity to consume a 

 large quantitv of fodder daily, .she i.annot lie expected to milk heavily. 

 The cow shown in Fig. 2 is rather neatly shaped, with an escutcheon 

 indicating an eighteen-quart maximum and a .seven to eight months' milking 

 term. She is, however, a small cow of her breed, with a somewhat stunted 

 appearance, though even. Taking this into consideration, it would not be 

 safe to estimate her capacity as over ten quarts, though it is evident she 

 would hold well to her milking. In actual work, on good feeding, she 

 has given eleven quarts, and milked up to six weeks from calving. 



The quantity and quality of food available to the cow has, of course, 

 everything to do with her reaching her possible milk-flow ; and, for want 

 of proper feeding, many cows never reach their maximum. With cattle 

 kept under rough conditions, exposed to severe weather changes, and sub- 

 jected to much fluctuation in the amount and quality of their grazing, the 

 milk flow will te very uneven. In .some seasons, they may milk extra 

 heavily and keep the flow up well, on account of favourable conditions pre- 

 vailing ; whereas, in others, they may do badly. Little return can be 

 expected from cows allowed to suffer from excessive cold or heat, or semi- 

 starvation. 



The escutcheon is not confined to one sex. With bulls, however, the 

 Curveline and Horizontal varieties are those most frequently seen; and some 

 show splendid development. Fig. 22 shows a Horizontal escutcheon, A 

 class, on a bull that has jjioved very su'xvssful as a sire of deep milking 

 stock. 



Photographs Xos. 4. 7, and 13 are of young heifers; and show that 

 the escutcheon may be made u.se of in choosing dairy stock at an early age. 

 !♦. should be of particular value to a dairyman raising calves of unknown 

 breeding. A calf with a good escutcheon, if properly raised, will almost 

 invarialiK make into a good cow; whereas those not having this significant 

 marking well defined are unlikely to bo worth rearing for dairy work. 



Thf heifers in Figs. 4 and 13 are aged thirty-two and thirty-three weeks 

 respectively. They are by the same sire, from full sisters. The dam of 

 No. 13 was last year a I^etter cow than that of N(\ 4 by qo gallons. The 



