290 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



at the hips or just below. This view shows a second wedge 

 conformation. The third wedge is seen by standing at the 

 shoulder and looking down over the withers and ribs. From 

 the withers the ribs gradually widen out to form a notice- 

 able wedge in the upper half of the body. Thus we may 

 see the three wedges in the conformation of the dairy cow. 



The general form of the dairy bull shows much less of 

 the wedge shape than the cow. The best bulls, however, 

 have a certain amount of thinness at the withers, and the 

 body is long and muscular. The depth at the hind quarter 

 is much the same as at the fore quarter, although the males 

 are frequently somewhat high at the rear flanks. While the 

 thighs, from a side view, appear muscular, as is the case 

 with the cow, from the rear they should be thin and widely 

 and highly separated. A beefy appearance of the thigh in 

 this type is most undesirable. 



Quality in dairy cattle has certain features in common 

 with the beef type, such as fineness of hair and bone and 

 mellowness of skin. The chief difference is in the thickness 

 and length of the coat of hair, which is usually much shorter 

 and thinner on dairy than on beef cattle. The dairy ani- 

 mal, as a rule, has the thinner and more elastic hide of the 

 two. Those cattle that are of Jersey or Guernsey blood have 

 very mellow, most elastic hides, that sometimes resemble a 

 mole skin in their soft, pliable nature. Yellow color in the 

 ears, skin, and horns is regarded as evidence of quality, and 

 indicates the production of milk rich in color. The Guernsey 

 Cattle Club places such a high value on the color of the secre- 

 tions, that 15 points are allowed this feature in their scale 

 of points. 



The temperament of the dairy animal should show plenty 

 of nervous force. This does not mean an excitable disposi- 

 tion, but lively rather than phlegmatic. Dairy bulls usually 

 show plenty of nervous force, as compared with beef stock. 

 The cow is constituted to produce milk, a task which requires 



