THE DAIRY COW 141 



as well as in the beef animal, as her carcass is used for beef 

 when she is through with her work of milk-making. But the 

 dairy cow is primarily a milk-making machine. Conse- 

 quently, she must be capable of eating, digesting and using a 

 large quantity of feed. This means that she must have great 

 internal capacity. She must have a long, deep and broad 

 middlepiece; or as it is sometimes expressed, she must have 

 a large "bread basket." A cow must first be maintained 

 and the more she can eat above maintenance the more profit- 

 able she is. 



Along with this, it is important that a cow have a good con- 

 stitution. The cow in other words, should be deep and broad 

 in chest as well as in the middle. 



She should also be long from the hip points to the rear and 

 should have great depth in the hind quarters. This allows 

 more room for reproductive and milk-making organs. It 

 also indicates strength, vigor and robustness. 



From the side a cow should be deep in front, deep in the 

 middle and deep in the hind quarters. From the rear, she 

 should also be broad — broad all over the rear. The hips 

 should be far apart. This again makes more room inside for 

 the development and delivery of the calf as well as for the 

 udder. The hip points also should be prominent, enough so 

 that a hat can be hung on them. 



Udder. — The udder of a cow is a gland where the milk is 

 made. It is not a bag as it is frequently called. A bag is a 

 receptacle or container in which materials are stored or trans- 

 ported. While the udder of a cow stores some milk its primary 

 function is milk-making. And a large part of the milk is 

 made at the time the milking is being done. Since the udder's 

 function is the manufacture of milk it should be large. A large 

 machine can always do more work than a small one of equal 

 quality. The udder also should be made of glandular and not 

 fatty tissue. It should have a large attachment with the 

 body; that is, it should extend well up in the rear toward the 

 tail and come well forward under the body. The udder also 

 should be well developed in all four of its quarters so as to be 

 uniform and symmetrical. The teats should be of sufficient 

 size for good handling and should be set well apart. 



