CHAPTER XII 

 CATTLE 



289. Forms of Beef and Dairy Cattle. Just as there 

 are two distinct types of horses, the roadster and the 

 draft horse, so there are two distinct types of cattle, 

 the dairy and the beef breeds. In both cases, there are 

 many common animals that do not belong to either class. 

 As a horse cannot be best for both speed and draft pur- 

 poses, so a cow cannot excel for both meat and milk. A 

 few cattle are bred for both purposes. These are called 

 dual-purpose breeds, but none of these breeds is exten- 

 sively raised, as they cannot compete with either the 

 dairy or the beef breeds. The effort to develop a great 

 dual-purpose breed must always fail. The following table 

 gives some of the contrasts between the beef and the dairy 



form: 



Dairy Beef 



Form Wedge-shaped. Rectangular. 



Head Small, long, narrow. Small, But thicker. 



Eyes Bright, prominent. Same. 



Muzzle Mouth and nostrils Same. 



large. 



Neck Fine, medium Short, thick. 



length, thin. 



Shoulders Thin, lean., bony. Heavy, well-fleshed, wide 



between front legs, wide 

 on top just behind 

 shoulders. 



Back Crooked. Straight 



Loin (back) Not fleshy. Broad, thick, fleshy. 



Flank High. Low. 



Thighs Thin. Full, heavy. 



Udder and milk veins. Large, prominent. Not prominent. 



Skin and hair Soft, pliable. Same. 



(323) 



