686 CYCLOPEDIA 01 UVE STOCK aNO iAJa^Us;i.ti 6TUCii DOCTOB. 



*'But the escutcheon has the advantage of furnishing a mark which can 

 be easily discerned and estimated, even by persons of no great expe- 

 rience in the selection of cows — a mark perceptible on very young ani- 

 mals, and on bulls as well as heifers — a mark which, when disencum- 

 bered of the complicated system in which it has been wrapped up, will be 

 in common use and facilitate the increase of good cows, by not allowing 

 any but those of good promise to be reared." 



XI. Good Milkers in all Breeds. 



Professor Magne also gives the following directions for choosing a good 

 cow, of any breed: 



"We find good milkers in all breeds, but thej' are rare in some and very 

 common in others. It could not be otherwise. Milk properties, depend- 

 ing on the conditions which determine the formation of breeds, are due 

 partly to the climate, the soil, the air, and the plants of the countries 

 where the breeds have originated ; and must therefore vary with the con- 

 ditions peculiar to each locality. Milkers, and more especially animals 

 intended for breeding, must be selected among breeds celebrated for abund- 

 ance of milk. For as milking qualities are in a great measure dependent 

 on structure and temperament, which are more or less hereditary, de- 

 scent exercises a great influence. 



XII. Value of Heredity. 



*'In each breed, therefore, we should choose individuals belonging to 

 the best stock, and the offspring of parents remarkable for their milking 

 qualities ; for it is certain that good milch cows produce others which re- 

 semble them. A cow of a bad milking family, or even breed, may occa- 

 sionally be an excellent milker, and more than this is not wanted when it 

 is not meant to breed from her. The same cannot be said when breed- 

 ing is intended, because there would be little chance of her transmitting 

 the accidental or exceptional qualities possessed by her; whereas the 

 qualities forming the fixed and constant characters of the stock would al- 

 most to a certaint}^ be transmitted to descendants. 



"These remarks, with regard to breed and parentage, apply to the se- 

 lection of the bull, which, as experience demonstrates, acts like the cow 

 in transmitting the milking qualities which distinguish the breed and 

 stock. 



XIII. Influence ot Good Digestion and Assimilation. 



"The digestive organs have a great influence on the exercise of all the 

 functions, and particularly on the secretion of the milk-glands. Where 

 the digestive organs are defective, good milch cows are rarely met with. 



