22 THE RURAL EFFICIENCY GUIDE STOCK 



head, for example, is usually accompanied by a long, narrow body. Good length 

 of body is desirable in a dairy cow, but a narrow head usually has small eyes 

 and nostrils and a small mouth. 



A small, dull, listless eye expresses inability to do satisfactory work. Small 

 nostrils indicate contracted lung capacity and poor constitution. A small mouth 

 usually goes with small digestive capacity. Marked coarseness of bone, hide and 

 hair are indicative of low producing capacity. Heavy, coarse bones over the tops 

 of the shoulders, at the hip points, pin bones, in the tail and legs, are marks of 

 poor dairy temperament. 



A body which is short and lacking in depth due to close, short or straight ribs 

 is objectionable because it detracts from the capacity for feed. The legs of an 

 animal often appear long on account of a small body. The floor of the chest 

 of a cow should be down to a point half way between the knee and elbow 

 joints of the forelegs. 



Deficiencies which are common to the hind quarters of the cow, include short- 

 ness and narrowness of rump, a drooping rump, narrowness between the thurls 

 and pin bones and thickly fleshed thighs. Narrowness in the hind quarters, es- 

 pecially at the thurls and pin bones, is accompanied by thighs and hind legs 

 which are too close together to permit proper development of the udder. A 

 short rump and thick, heavy thighs are objectionable for the same reason. 



There is practically always opportunity for criticising an udder on irregular- 

 ity of quarters, handling quality, or attachment. An udder does not necessarily 

 have to score perfectly to be capable of making a large production of milk, but 

 it is desirable to have it large in proportion to the size of the cow and extend 

 high up behind and well forward in front, with the quarters equally developed and 

 of pliable handling quality. Teats which are too short, too close together or 

 irregularly placed and inconvenient for milking, are often noted. 



It is impossible to define perfection in the mammary veins, owing to the 

 great variation in their development. Small, straight veins extending only a 

 short distance forward from the udder and having very few, if any, branches, are 

 characteristic of the veins on poor cows. A network of fair sized veins entering 

 two or more wells on each side of the body, may be considered equal to larger and 

 more prominent veins without branches and extensions. 



Constitution and Breeding Essential. A strong constitution is highly 

 essential for the reason that the work of the cow is strenuous when she is fed 

 for maximum production. A cow lacking vitality is rarely ever a good feeder, 

 and consequently is unsatisfactory for milk production. The cow which has 

 a constitution to enable her to be useful for a period of 10 or 12 years in mak- 

 ing a large production of milk and regularly bearing offspring, is most profit- 

 able. 



The breeding or ancestry of a cow largely determines her characteristics, 

 the use she makes of her feed and the characteristics of her calves. The dairy 

 cow, by virtue of her breeding, has the characteristics of some one of the 

 recognized dairy breeds. Dairy breeding insures against disappointment when 

 one buys or raises a cow for milk production. 



