62 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



Noble of Oaklands sold for $15,000, and the cow Lady Viola 

 for $7,500, the highest prices for a male and female of this 

 breed. 



The Holstein-Friesian breed of cattle came originally 

 from Holland. Here the people have kept dairy cows for 

 centuries. The country is very low, much of it lying below 

 sea level, the water being held back by dykes. There are 

 many meadows that are separated by canals. On long, 

 narrow strips of pasture, with water on each side, one sees 

 beautiful herds of black and white cattle, a most common 

 summer sight in Holland. We do not know the origin of 

 these cattle. They are perhaps descended from the Giant 

 Ox. The present cattle are usually black and white, though 

 red and white rarely occur. Cattle were brought to America 

 from Holland by the early Dutch settlers of New York and 

 vicinity. In 1795 the Holland Land Company sent some 

 cattle to central New York. Later on, Dutch cattle were 

 taken to Vermont and other Eastern states. Along in the 

 middle and later part of the last century many were imported 

 into America. This is our largest breed of dairy cattle, and 

 mature bulls often weigh from 2000 to 2500 pounds, and 

 cows from 1200 to 1500 pounds or more. 



The most striking features of the Holstein-Friesian are 

 the large size, the black-and-white spotted color, and the big 

 udders of many of the cows. The heads incline to be a trifle 

 long and narrow, the horns seem small for such a large breed, 

 the body is capacious, the rump is long and frequently steep, 

 and the thighs are large and in many cases tend to be some- 

 what thick and beefy. The udder is a notable feature of the 

 cows, some being immense in size and capacity. Several 

 cows have produced over 100 pounds of milk each in a day, 

 and yearly records up to even more than 25,000 pounds of 

 milk are established. The milk contains usually a small per 



