SELECTING THE BREED 63 



the dairy breeds. This breed excels in milk produc- 

 tion. The animals are also characterized by their 

 large frame, fine bone (compared with the size of 

 the breed), abundance of flesh, silken coat and ex- 

 treme docility. The object of the early breeders 

 was to produce as much milk and beef as possible 

 from the same animal, and this is still the object of 

 many of the breeders of these animals to-day. Their 

 big bony frames are usually well filled out and are 

 thus readily turned into beef. The calves are large 

 at birth and they usually grow and fatten with great 

 rapidity. For this reason the heifers develop and 

 mature early. The calves are usually raised with lit- 

 tle difficulty. In size the Holsteins are the largest 

 of all the dairy breeds. Mature cows range in 

 weight from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds and sometimes 

 reach 1,800. The bulls at maturity are very large, 

 often above 2,500 pounds, and usually possess a 

 vigorous constitution. As already stated, one of the 

 prominent characteristics of this breed is the large 

 milk production. The udder is often of extraordi- 

 nary size with teats of good form and well placed. 

 The milk veins are frequently remarkably developed. 

 The cows are generally of the true dairy type. 

 Records are numerous of cows giving an average 

 of above their own live weight in milk monthly for 

 over twelve consecutive months, and there are au- 

 thentic instances of daily yields of 100 pounds or 

 more for several days in succession, and 20,000 to 

 30,000 pounds of milk in one year. Many herds pro- 

 duce an average of 8,000 pounds per cow a year, and 

 some 10,000. One of the most serious defects in 



