34 



How TO KNOW A Good Cow. 



Judges of dairy stock differ more or less in their methods of 

 selection, and the relative importance they attach to the points 

 presented. There is a general similarity of observation and 

 opinion ; but I am aware that in attempting to describe those 

 points which 1 consider most essential I shall lay myself open to 

 criticism by other and perhaps better judges of milk and butter 

 cows. Perhaps such criticism w^ould be helpful rather than 

 otherwise. 



The essential points in the conformation of a dairy cow are 

 briefly, and about in the order given : — 



1. Udder capacious, with broad attachment. 



2. Body large and deep. 



3. Hind quarters wide and strong. 



4. Fore quarters spare fleshed and rather openly jointed. 



5. Milk-veins, skin, hair, temperament, etc., indicating large 

 milking powers. 



To enlarge on these points in detail : — 



1. The Udder. — Capacity is the chief requirement in a good 

 udder, but it is not always indicated by the size and shape of the 

 organ. An udder may be large and yet meaty and not capacious ; 

 or it may be unsymmetrical and yet elaborate a large quantity of 

 milk. It must be long and broad in its attachment to the body, 

 becoming more let down with advancing age, but not pendulous. 

 If it extends well up behind and well forward, and has great width, 

 its capacity is assured, regardless of its vertical dimension. As 

 a fancy point teats squarely placed and wide apart are desirable, 

 but this does not always assure large milking powers or a lack of 

 it the reverse. The placement of the teats is indicative of milk 

 yield, but not infallible. Even symmetry of the quarters may not 

 be a guarantee of good milking powers, although a tipped up udder 

 mars the beauty of the cow. Avoid an udder that begins too low 

 down in the twist and extends only moderately well forward, even 

 if it is large and pendulous. Size and shape of teats are matters 

 of convenience in milking. It must be borne in mind, however, 

 that anything that saves labor is a great advantage on the farm 

 as well as elsewhere, and a hard, slow-milking cow, requiring five 

 or ten minutes more than the average time for milking daily, means 

 an extra expenditure of from S4 to $8 per year for attendance. 

 She ought to be discounted from $10 to $15 in price on this 

 account. 



2. Size of Barrel. — A long, deep, capacious body is one of the 

 essentials of milking power often lost sight of, yet nevertheless of 



