THE IDEAL COW 85 



The Middle 



134. Size and capacity. — The capacity of the dairy cow to 

 utilize feed and to give milk is indicated in the size of barrel and 

 udder. Our ideal Holstein cow ought to give 100 pounds of milk in 

 a day. This means that she has to have a barrel that will hold 

 several bushels because she must eat a bushel of silage, several 

 pounds of hay, some beets, some beet pulp and molasses, large 

 quantities of water and about a bushel of dry grain. High produc- 

 ing cows of the other breeds must have barrels in proportion to 

 their size. When we visualize this ration we see the necessity of a 

 large barrel with well-sprung ribs, giving plenty of room. The flank 

 in front should be deep indicating good heart girth. The deep 

 flank in the rear indicates depth of barrel and good length of rib. 

 The flanks should be thin in flesh as indicating good dairy type. 



135. The abdomen and back.— To carry this barrel, the 

 abdomen must be held well up and the muscle walls strong and 

 fine. The back must be straight. No breed type allows any sway- 

 backed animal to represent the ideal of that breed. The top line 

 must be straight right through from withers to tail head with per- 

 haps a slight rise above the pelvis, the ribs well rounded out from 

 the back with no slabsidedness. There is a feeling among breeders 

 of dairy cattle that high production is linked up with a good 

 nervous development. A strong back with plenty of room for the 

 spinal canal will allow full nervous development of the rear 

 quarters. A straight top line means a strong back. 



The Rear Quarters 



The organs of reproduction are in the rear part of the barrel, so 

 that width and depth here are necessary for the growth and 

 development of the unborn calf. The loins must be broad and 

 level and there must be no depression in front of the hips, indicat- 

 ing weakness here. 



136. Hips and rump. — The hind quarters of the cow are par- 

 ticularly important. Here the machinery must work smoothly and 

 properly. Wide, level hips give room for a wide udder below and 

 room for the uterus to grow above. The rump must be strong and 



