468 Journal of Agriculture. [loAuc, 1908-. 



the -Alelljourne, Geelong, Eallarat and Colac shows with cows of his owa 

 breeding, always paid great attention to the escutcheons of the cows and 

 bulls used in the dairy herd. The colour of the skin (yellowish) and the 

 little scales that can be scratched from the end of the tail and inside the 

 ear, were always a reliajjle sign of a rich milker. 



-Milk veins, which show on the udder and on each side of the bodv 

 forward of the udder, should be well de\-elaped, prominent and welt 

 formed, so as to allow a free circulation of blood from the tieart to the 

 udder. They do not contain milk, as some are inclined to think. 

 Length of milk \eins denotes dairy heredity, and there are very few- 

 heavy milkers and great ]>erformers at the pail that do not show prominent 

 veins. A big flow of milk calls for a large flow of blood to and from 

 the udder, and the large development of the udder necessarily involves, 

 a large blood supply, the blood b(?ing made from the food consumed b\ 

 the cow, hence the size and tortuous appearance of the milk veins in a 

 heavy milker as shown in illustration Xo. 8. 



Temperament. 



Temperament in a dairy cow is one of the main points upon which- 

 her adaptabilit) for dairy purposes depends. It has to do with the 

 balance between the forces of the nervous and the vital s\stems and is 

 largely a matter, as previously mentioned, of hereditv, modified some- 

 what by en\ironment. Contented cows respond more readilv to khid 

 treatment, which has its effect on the flow of milk. A nervous disposi- 

 tion interferes with the production of milk; the blood supply is diverted 

 from the milk glands to some other part .>f the animal's svstem, and 

 without a proper amount of blood, the milk glands cannot Ije asked to 

 do their work satisfartorih . What is commonly known as not " giving 

 down '■ rjr '"' holding up " the milk is the result of a lack of nerve tone 

 in the gland, caused by some undue excitement. Milk production with 

 cows is the result of nervous force, and this nervous force starts from 

 the brain and runs along the spinal cord. 



General Conclusions. 



In summarising the principal features of distinction in a good milch 

 cow, we are largely guided by the functions on which depends her com- 

 m.ercial value. In contrast with btef cattle one .should pav strict atten- 

 tion to m.ilk production. This i.s controlled to a greater or less degree 

 by the capacity and vigorous condition of the digestixe system, the nerve 

 force required to stimulate and assist digestion and the circulatory ap- 

 paratus, finishing uj) with the facilities and conditions provided for milk 

 secretion as evidenced in a capacious udder. The various breeds, their 

 crosses and grades, all provide excellent milkers, and it is to the general 

 elexation and impn)\ement of the dairy cow as a milker, that the efforts 

 of all progressive dairymen are mainly directed. The climatx condi- 

 tions and the great diversity of grazing areas existing in different parts 

 of the State vary to such an extent, that it is hardly practicable to abso- 

 lutely determine a standard of dairy cow for all purposes. At the same 

 time when one reads what is taking place with regard to the improve- 

 ment of the dairy cows in other parts of the world, it is evident we in 

 Victoria, with all our natural advantages, are very much behind the times. 



