CATTLE 



1235 



CATTLE 



A dairy cow reaches full growth at about 

 five years of age. It is best to breed her 

 when she is fifteen to eighteen months old, so 

 her first calf will be born before she is twenty- 

 seven months old. Her average useful life ex- 

 tends over a period of about five years, that is, 

 she will not live on the average beyond eight 

 years, although individual cows sometimes con- 

 tinue to produce until twelve or fourteen years 

 of age. A cow should produce a calf every 

 twelve months. She should be milked about 

 ten and one-half months out of every twelve 

 and be allowed to rest about six weeks pre- 

 vious to the birth of the next calf. During this 

 resting period she should be well fed so she 

 may store up fat and energy for use in her 

 next productive period. The time between 

 the birth of one calf and the next, when a 

 cow is milking, is known as the lactation 

 period. 



Cows should be milked twice a day, as a 

 rule. When an individual yields more than 

 forty pounds, which is about twenty quarts, it 

 may be best to milk her three times a day. 

 A cow which is inclined to be docile and turn 

 most of her food into milk, showing no ten- 

 dency to lay on fat, is said to have a good 

 "dairy temperament." This does not mean a 

 sluggish temperament; she must be bright and 

 full of nervous force and energy, but must be 

 quiet. 



The important dairy breeds are the Holstein- 

 Friesian, the Guernsey, the Jersey and the Ayr- 

 shire. The Holstein-Friesian breed originated 

 in Holland, where the natural conservatism of 

 the Dutch people has caused them to prefer 

 this one breed of cattle for upwards of 2,000 

 years. This breed has found greatest develop- 

 ment in the United States. 



The Guernsey and Jersey breeds do not pro- 



as the Jersey, but is of a more closely knit, 

 compact type. These animals produce a good 

 quantity of milk of excellent quality, and have 

 a reputation as better grazers than the other 

 breeds. 



Holstein-Friesian cattle are black and white. 

 The color of the Jersey in general is solid 

 fawn, varying through all the shades from light 

 to dark. White is allowable and may occur 

 in well-defined patches. The Guernsey cow is 

 generally larger than the Jersey, and perhaps 

 a little coarser. The color is yellowish, brown- 

 ish or reddish fawn. This is wholly unlike the 

 fawn of the Jersey, and is not likely to be mis- 

 taken after a few individuals of each of the 

 two breeds have been seen. White markings 

 are more common with Guernseys than with 

 Jerseys. Ayrshire cattle are red and white, 

 although occasionally a brown-and-white ani- 

 mal may appear. 



Mature Holstein-Friesian cows should weigh 

 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. They yield the most 

 milk of any of the dairy breeds; a good aver- 

 age yield for a mature Holstein-Friesian cow 

 would be thirty pounds of milk per day for 

 300 days, or 9,000 pounds of milk in one year, 

 and this milk will test about 3.5 per cent but- 

 ter fat. A mature Guernsey cow should weigh 

 1,000 pounds and yield 6.000 pounds of milk 

 in one year, testing five to six per cent butter 

 fat. A mature Jersey cow will weigh from 700 

 to 900 pounds, and will produce in one year 

 6,000 to 7,000 pounds of milk, testing 4.5 to 5.5 

 per cent of butter fat. A mature Ayrshire 

 cow will weigh about the same as the Jersey, 

 and will produce 7,000 to 8,000 pounds of milk, 

 testing four to five per cent butter fat. 



The following are the best yearly records up 

 to January 1, 1916, of the leading cow in each 

 of the four great dairy breeds: 



duce so great a quantity of milk, but make up 

 for less quantity by a greater content of but- 

 ter fat. The Guernsey and Jersey have been 

 purely bred for upwards of 200 years on the 

 islands of the same names in the English Chan- 

 nel, off the coast of France. 



The Ayrshire breed, which originated in 

 County Ayr, Scotland, is of about the same size 



Brown Swiss, Dutch Belted, Kerry, Dexter 

 and French Canadian are minor breeds of cat- 

 tle classed as dairy breeds. 



Care and Feeding of Dairy Cattle. The 

 foods used in feeding dairy cattle are divided 

 into two classes, coarse foods, or roughage, 

 and concentrates. Examples of coarse foods 

 are alfalfa, clover hay, corn fodder and corn 



