282 THE BREEDING OF ANIMALS 



amount of milk supplied by the wild cow is limited to a 

 few pounds daily. 



The milking function in the domestic cow has become 

 through man's selection an hereditary character of the 

 greatest importance. While in the domestic cow the 

 milking function is still closely correlated with the repro- 

 ductive functions, it is nevertheless developed to such 

 an extent that it bears no very important relation to the 

 needs of the young offspring. Certain individual cows 

 have this function developed to such an extraordinary 

 degree that they produce milk continuously without inter- 

 ruption for many years and often regardless of whether the 

 cow becomes pregnant or not. (Plate XXVI.) 



The Holstein Friesian cow, Duchess Skylark Ormsby 

 (Plate XXVII), produced 27,761 pounds of milk in one 

 year, containing 1205 pounds of fat. The Jersey cow, 

 Sophie 19th of Hood Farm (Plate XXVIII), has a record 

 of 17,557 pounds of milk containing 999 pounds of fat. 

 The Guernsey cow, Murne Cowan, is officially reported as 

 having produced 24,008 pounds of milk and 1098 pounds 

 of butter-fat in one year. Garclaugh May Mischief, an 

 Ayrshire cow, has a similar yearly record of 25,329 

 pounds of milk and 894 pounds of fat. 



266. Improvement in wool production. The first 

 importations of Spanish Merino sheep into the United 

 States were made about 1815. At that time the average 

 weight of fleece was three or four pounds. The weight 

 of fleeces of American Merinos increased gradually from 

 that time until 1885. Authentic records of single fleeces 

 weighing from thirty to forty pounds are now available. 

 The Oklahoma Agricultural College has reported that 

 the two-year-old Rambouillet ram Loraine owned by 

 that institution has produced a fleece weighing 46 pounds 



