HOW TO BUILD A HERD OF DAIRY COWS 27 



" Dairying is based on the maternity of the cow. 

 It is the mother function which arouses the milk 

 organs into activity for the feeding of the young. 

 Many generations of selection and breeding by man 

 have prolonged the period of activity of these 

 organs of the dairy cow, but the beginning is 

 always a function of reproduction which must occur 

 with considerable regularity in profitable cows. In 

 order that this may occur with the least tax upon 

 the vigour and activity of the animal, she should 

 have broad hips and a high pelvic arch." 



The thighs should be thin and incurved on the 

 back side, with plenty of room between them, while 

 the flank is arched up high just in front of them. 

 All this is to give room to the fine udder she will 

 put on when she freshens. 



Having now seen the animal from nearly all 

 points, approach her again carefully from the milk- 

 ing side. Place the right hand gently on her 

 shoulders, smoothing her flanks with the palm of 

 your left hand, and continue until the hand is under- 

 neath the belly and in contact with the milk veins ; 

 standing well clear of her back legs all the time, so 

 that you may bend over to enable you to see under- 

 neath, when it should be noted how the milk veins 

 behave where they enter the udder. These should 

 be branching out like the delta of a river and ex- 

 tending all over the udder, forming a network of 

 prominent and knotty-looking veins. A cow with 

 such a network of veins is usually a good milker. 



