1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 85 



but, if she does become excited, by virtue of this large 

 nervous development, she becomes the most excited of any 

 animal of her kind. But people make a mistake in suppos- 

 ing when I speak of this that I am speaking of excitable 

 cattle. When I speak of the nervous temperament, I am 

 speaking of cattle which can be made excited, but should 

 not be. 



Now, I said to you that the nervous power, the nervous 

 temperament, induces a peculiar form. You can see it in 

 these illustrations before you. It is seen in the contour of 

 the limbs, it is seen in the delicacy of the outline of this 

 dairy cow. She is a great deal more feminine ; she is built 

 upon a different temperament. Now, this calls for judg- 

 ment in handling. The man who would be a successful 

 breeder of dairy cattle must understand that the dairy 

 temperament calls for essential care in handling, calls for 

 essential care in using. Gentlemen, motherhood cannot 

 find its expression if you deny it warmth. Remember that 

 the dairy cow needs much more warmth than the beef cow. 

 She is affected particularly by cold water, by cold draughts* 

 She must have, if she is to give you the most profitable 

 expression of her motherhood, first of all steady care, con- 

 tinued care, and then you must give her warmth. I have 

 seen, for instance, steers on the prairies of Iowa go out of 

 their stable and lie down on a snowbank. Did you ever 

 know a cow that is giving milk to do that? Never. You 

 see her shrink behind the barn or into the sunshine as 

 quickly as possible. You see her seeking warmth always. 

 When I first brought out the idea of warming water for 

 dairy cows, I was greeted with a good deal of ridicule ; 

 but I based it upon a principle applying to maternity, and 

 I would say just this one thing, — I wish that every farmer 

 in Massachusetts would consult his wife a great deal more 

 than he does. She could tell him some things that it 

 would be well for him to know concerning the female body. 



The dairy temperament calls for peculiar handling; it 

 calls also for peculiar feeding. The dairy temperament 

 calls for food which is essentially nerve-supporting in its 

 character. You feed this Hereford cow all the corn she 

 will eat, and she will store up carbon in her system, and, 



