522 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



*■'■ veins less important to be carefully observed. The princ'pal 

 " ones under the belly should be large and prominent, and extend 

 " forward to the nav^l, losing themselves, apparently, in the very 

 " best milkers, in a large cavity in the flesh, into which the 

 " end of the finger can be inserted ; but when the cow is not 

 " in full milk, the milk-vein, at other times very prominent, is not 

 "so distinctly traced ; and hence, to judge of its size when the 

 " cow is dry, or nearly so, this vein may be pressed near its end, 

 " or at its entrance into the body, when it will immediately fill up 

 " to its full size. This vein does not carry the milk to the udder, 

 " as some suppose, but is the channel by which the blood returns ; 

 "and its contents consist of the refuse of the secretion, or what 

 " has not been taken up in forming milk. There are, also, veins 

 " in the udder and the perineum, or the space above the udder, 

 "and between that and the buttocks, which it is of special import- 

 "ance to observe. These veins should be largely developed, and 

 " irregular or knotted, especially those of the udder. They are 

 " largest in great milkers. 



" The knotted veins of the perineum, extending from above 

 " downward in a winding line, are not readily seen in young heif- 

 " ers, and are very difficult to find in poor cows, or cows of only 

 " a medium quality. They are easily found in very good milkers, 

 " and if not at first apparent, they are made so by pressing upon 

 " them at the base of the perineum, when they swell up, and send 

 "the blood back toward the vulva. They form a kind of thick 

 " net-work under the skin of the perineum, raising it up somewhat, 

 " in some cases near the vulva, in others lower down and nearer to 

 " the udder. It is important to look for these veins, as they often 

 " form a very important guide, and by some they would be con- 

 " sidered as furnishing the surest indications of the milking qual- 

 " ities of the cow. Their full development almost always indicates 

 " an abundant secretion of milk ; but they are far better developed 

 " after the cow has had two or three calves, when two or three 

 " years' milking has given full activity to the milky glands, and 

 " attracted a large flow of blood. The larger and more promi- 

 " nent these veins, the better. It is needless to say, that in observ- 



