28 GUIDE TO DAIRYING IN SOUTH AFRICA 



Then run the hand gently along the milk 

 veins which extend from the udder towards the 

 chest. These should be well developed and when 

 the cow is fresh they are large and full, showing 

 that they carry the blood well between the heart 

 and the udder. Well-developed milk veins generally 

 denote a cow which will give a large milk yield 

 when she is properly fed. Finally run the left hand 

 over the udder to make sure if it is sound in every 

 quarter and that it gives milk freely and easily from 

 all four quarters. 



In selecting cows by looks, more mistakes are 

 made over the udder than on any other point, for a 

 great number of farmers judge the animal's useful- 

 ness entirely by the udder. They think, quite 

 mistakenly, that if the udder is large and good 

 she is a good cow no matter what her shape is. 

 A good udder, of course, usually accompanies a good 

 form, but not always, and when it does not the 

 animal is generally a total failure as a dairy cow. 

 On the other hand, a cow may have a very fine and 

 large udder indeed and yield a good flow for a short 

 time, but if it is not accompanied by the dairy form 

 she has not the means of filling the bag long enough 

 to make her profitable. Look at the style and form 

 of the animal first, and beware of being deceived by 

 a large fleshy udder ; for morejarmers are deceived 

 by that than anything else, for they invariably judge 

 by the udder and ignore other important points. 



