VAN PELT'S COW DEMONSTRATION 



trait, this is an indication that the udder will be both long 

 and wide. . 



Mammary veins and milk wells are important points to 

 observe in selecting sires, for, as in the cow, they indicate 

 the volume of blood flowing to the lower parts of the body. 

 Insomuch as it is so important that there be a great flow of 

 blood through the udder of the cow, it is necessary that the 

 characteristics of the bull indicate that he will transmit that 

 trait to his descendants. 



Bulls differ greatly in size, length and development of 

 mammary veins much as do cows. Some of them have large 

 veins that pass as far forward as the shoulder pits. Others 

 have veins that are small and short with no signs of branches 

 and ending in milk wells that are so small that they are 

 difficult to find. It is not to be expected that a bull's veins and 

 wells will be as large as those of the cow for the Same reason 

 that the veins of a young heifer or a cow far advanced in the 

 period of lactation will not be as large as those of an older 

 cow or one that is giving a large flow of milk. Heavy pro- 

 duction develops the size, and it is noticeable that cows well 

 fed and forced to yield large amounts of ilk for a long period 

 exhibit greater veins and wells than those that have never 

 been stimulated to do their best. Neverthless, the presence 

 of large, tortuous, long, branching veins and large, numerous 

 milk wells on the sire indicate that his heifers will have cor- 

 respondingly desirable veins and wells. When the heifers 

 come into milk they may be developed by good care and feed- 

 ing. Other things being equal, they will be more productive 

 than the descendants of a bull less developed in these respects. 



Good vs. Poor Sires 



Pointing to the great value of a good sire and to the utter 

 worthlessness of a poor one are the experiments that were 

 carried on at the Missouri Experiment Station by Prof. Eckles, 

 who says: 



"In 1884 the Missouri Agricultural College bought four 

 registered Jersey cows, and the entire herd we have on hand 

 today is descended from these cows. Of course, herd bulls 

 have been purchased from outside, but no female has been 

 bought. Since 1892 complete milk and butter-fat records have 

 been kept of every cow. Up until 1901 practically every 

 female was retained in the herd, regardless of her dairy 

 qualities. These conditions give an opportunity to study the 

 effect of sires which can hardly be duplicated anywhere. 



Missouri Rioter 



"The first bull used was Missouri Rioter, a son of Bachelor 

 of St. Lambert. There is no record indicating the dairy 



[75] 



