JUDGING DAIRY CATTLE 253 



The tail should be thin, tapering, and long, the tail bone ex- 

 tending at least to the hocks, as a long tail is associated with 

 a high nervous development, much desired in a dairy cow. 

 The hind legs should set well apart, especially at the hocks, 

 thus allowing plenty of room for the development of the 

 udder. 



Mammary Development 80 Per Cent. The udder is the 

 most important part of the dairy cow. It should be attached 

 high behind and carried well forward, thus affording the 

 maximum amount of room for its development. It should 

 be flexible, and when empty, drop into folds. A fleshy udder 

 is not desirable, as there is not sufficient room for the secre- 

 tory glands. The quarters should be even and not cut up. 

 The teats should be wide apart, uniformly placed, and of 

 convenient size, which qualities aid in milking and insure 

 greater capacity in the udder. A thorough examination 

 should be made to see that all teats are perfect. A stream 

 of milk should be drawn from each teat. The milk veins 

 should be large and twisting, and should extend well forward. 

 The size of the milk veins indicates the amount of blood 

 that can pass through the circulation to the udder. The 

 milk wells or cavities where the milk veins pass into the body 

 should be large and numerous. Examine the cow and de- 

 termine the number of milk wells. Every cow has two milk 

 wells, and some cows have as many as fourteen. 



General Appearance 15 Per Cent. The disposition of the 

 dairy cow should be quiet and gentle, yet she should show 

 indications of a high nervous development well under con- 

 trol, since this characteristic indicates milk production. 

 Health and vigor will be determined by her wide-awake 



