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BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



cattle. The opinion prevails, that with dairy animals 

 there should be length of body with the ribs less closely 

 placed together than is the case with beef cattle. Conse- 

 quently, a body of considerable length meets with favor. 

 Some judges prefer the hind flank to be somewhat high, but 

 this is associated with lack of depth of body, signifying a 

 deficient digestive capacity. 



The hind quarters of the dairy animal have been the cause 

 of much discussion. The hips of the cows should be some- 

 what prominent and lean. With the males, less prominence 



of hip is desired. In the case 

 of each sex, much length and 

 breadth, with level carriage 

 of rump, is wanted. Below 

 this part, the thighs, as viewed 

 from one side, should appear 

 muscular and long. From the 

 rear view, the thighs should 

 seem thin, and placed wide 

 apart, giving ample room be- 

 tween for a large udder. We 

 sometimes say that the thighs 

 are incurving, which means 

 that from the point of the rump 

 or pin bone, each thigh curves slightly for a distance towards 

 the body before curving outward to form the top of the hock. 

 The tail should have a neat placing on the body, and its 

 fleshy part should hang in a perpendicular position to the 

 hocks, showing considerable space between it and the thigh 

 as viewed from one side. A beefy character of any part of 

 the hind quarter is very undesirable. The tendency is to 

 show fleshiness at the top of the rump over the hips and 

 pin bones, and on the thighs. A straight, wide carriage of 



Fig. 113. Showing length of rump 

 of the dairy cow. Photograph by 

 courtesy The Farmer. 



