140 LIVESTOCK ON THE FARM 



would indicate. When such cows are fed more than a certain 

 amount they will use this extra feed for fat production. This 

 should be avoided, since a cow that gets too fat loses materially 

 her efficiency as a milk-making machine. 



A good dairy cow, whose nerve stimulus for milk-making 

 is well enough developed, will make milk of all the feed she 

 can consume. Her limit for feeds is determined by her power 

 of digestion and metabolism. Thus it is that dairy cows, for 

 best work, must be fed individually. 



In feeding a cow, the factor of maintenance previously dis- 

 cussed must not be forgotten. The first feed is always used 

 for maintenance and the more a cow can eat, digest and use 

 to advantage above the amount needed for maintenance the 

 better and the more profitable she is. 



For feeding cows there is nothing quite so good as pasture 

 containing an abundance and a variety of grasses and legumes. 

 This is nature's best feed and if this is supplemented with th(^ 

 necessary mineral substances, water and grains for concen- 

 trates, she will, indeed, be well cared for. 



THE COW IN OUTLINE 



In discussing the conformation of a cow the author has in 

 mind the points he would take into consideration were he to 

 start a herd of dairy cows on his own farm. In starting a 

 herd, great care should be exercised in selecting the herd bull. 

 The bull should be a pure bred and a very good individual. 

 One or two pure-bred females, possibly a heifer calf and a 

 bred heifer should also be purchased. These must also be of 

 a high standard of excellence. The balance of the herd would 

 be selected from the grade stock of the country, but they would 

 be selected for dairy conformation. When so selected they 

 will undoubtedly be good producers and when bred to a good 

 pure-bred bull will produce a very high class of dairy-bred 

 heifers. A dairy cow is valuable only for what she can do. 

 But the correlation between what she looks like or her con- 

 formation and her productivity is so accurate that one can 

 always distinguish a good one from a poor one by her 

 looks. 



Capacity.— Length of body is important in the dair}^ cow 



