SELECTION OF MILK COWS. 375* 



of cellular tissue, on the thickness of the skin, the abundance of 

 fat, or the largeness of the gland. In good cows, the gland 

 constitutes a very great part of it, and accordingly, after milk- 

 ing, it shrinks much, and becomes soft, flabby, and very wrinkled. 



"A greasy udder, also called fleshy, is of uniform texture, and 

 firm; it resists pressure, and scarcely lessens on being squeezed; 

 it is almost as bulky, and has as much consistency after milking, 

 as before. 



"Dealers, to prove that the udder is not fleshy, draw back the 

 skiu which covers it; when it stretches much, they consider it a 

 good sign, and call the attention of buyers to it. In fact, it is 

 conceived that skin which has been habitually distended by great 

 quantities of milk, should be looser, and more capable of stretch- 

 ing, than that which has not undergone the same alternations of 

 distension and relaxation. (There are "jockeys" in the cow 

 trade as well as in horses. L. F. A.) 



"Another object of the dealers, in thus stretching the udder, 

 is to show that the cows are of a good kind, that they have a 

 fine, soft, and supple skin. We must observe, however, that in 

 all cows the skin of the udder has these properties; in different 

 degrees, it is true, but still in degrees, the difference of which 

 few buyers are able to estimate. It is on the ribs that the skin 

 ought to be examined, for that is the region where the differ 

 ences, presented by the different breeds of cattle, are most per- 

 ceptible. 



"Some persons attach importance to the form of the udder. 

 We know some who look for an attached udder; that is, an 

 udder, the glands of which extend forward, and seem glued to 

 the belly. 



"But we have seen very good cows among those in which the 

 ndder is bottle-shaped, and hanging much, as well as among 

 those in which it is placed high. The size and nature are the 

 points which it is of importance to take into consideration. 



