DAIRY CATTLE 361 



only a small per cent of the cows have records ; therefore the 

 first method is the one generally used. This has led to a study 

 of the type of cow best suited to milk production and to a definite 

 system of judging dairy cattle (see Appendix F). 



465. Keeping records of the cows. After one has a herd 

 there is no excuse for not knowing what each animal produces 

 and how much feed it has eaten. This is the only reliable way 

 of selecting profitable cows. A cow may rank very high accord- 

 ing to the score card and still not be a very profitable producer. 

 By selecting cows on their records, discarding the unprofitable 

 ones, using good sires, and keeping the calves from the best 

 cows, one is certain to increase the productiveness of the herd. 



In keeping records of the cows, one must consider the dis- 

 position made of the milk and keep the records necessary to 

 determine the profit or the loss on the product sold. One who 

 sells milk regardless of the fat content need only keep a record 

 of the amount of milk produced and of the amount of feed con- 

 sumed. If the product is sold as cream and payment made on 

 the butter-fat basis, or if the butter is sold, a record should be 

 kept of butter-fat production. The best method of keeping the 

 milk record is to weigh the milk each night and morning. 



It is not practicable to make a butter-fat test of each milking ; 

 besides, a composite sample representing the milk of two days 

 each month will give very accurate results. The result obtained 

 by multiplying the number of pounds of milk given during the 

 month by the per cent of fat obtained from the composite sample 

 is the butter-fat record for the month. Since average butter con- 

 tains about 83 per cent of butter fat, a cow's butter-fat record 

 must be increased by one fifth in order to ascertain her butter 

 record. 



466. How to select a dairy cow. There is a certain type, or 

 form, of cow that is associated with large milk production. The 

 conformation of the dairy cow differs fundamentally from that of 

 the beef animal. The dairy cow is spare in flesh, angular, and 

 is usually referred to as wedge-shaped, while the beef animal 

 has a square, blocky form. 



