POINTS OF A GOOD COW. 253 



eye for beauty, he never desires to see a mountainous rump 

 in his stable. The legs of a beef-producing animal need not 

 be as sharp and clean as those of a milk-producing animal ; 

 they can be rounder, less expressive ; the foot can be shorter, 

 the hind-foot especially, without detriment ; the brisket should 

 be deep, and all the digestive organs should be packed in a 

 small compass. These I consider to be (adding, always, a 

 lively expression and a good skin) the specific points that 

 should bo possessed by the best beef-producing animal. You 

 can see yourself, perfectly well, that they are all easily pro- 

 duced. And if you give such an animal enough to eat, you 

 can easily preserve him in all his perfection. 



When you come to the question of milk-producing animals, 

 you want a firm, broad head ; a clear, bright, expressive eye ; 

 and if the horn is a little large at the base it does no harm. 

 You waut the shoulders to be comparatively loose, not com- 

 pact like the shoulders of a beef-producing, fattening animal, 

 but loosely thrown oti, apparently. A good milk-producing 

 cow always has that peculiarity. I have never seen a good 

 cow with a compact shoulder. If a dairy-cow drops a little 

 behind the shoulders, do not let it disturb you. I think a 

 dairy-cow's back and rump should be as level as those of a 

 beef-producing animal ; her fore-feet should be broad, firm, 

 and large in proportion to her leg ; her leg fine below the 

 knee, and compact and strong above ; her hind-feet should be 

 long and projecting. I never saw a good cow that had not 

 that peculiarity^ The rib of a dairy-cow, instead of being as 

 round as your finger, and thoroughly barrel-shaped in the 

 formation of the chest, should be flat, as flat as a case-knife, 

 and as thin on the edges. I never saw a round-ribbed cow in 

 my life, no matter how much milk she would give after calv- 

 ing, that would hold out well, or that stood high in the family 

 of good dairy animals. The point of the shoulder of a dairy- 

 cow should be loose and open, so that if you pass your hand 

 over it, you will find your finger dropping into a cup-like 

 cavity. As you pass your hand along the back, the spinal 

 processes should be loose and open ; you will feel a rough- 

 ness from the shoulder along the back, as far as these proc- 

 esses extend ; her hind-quarters should be wide. These 

 points to which I have alluded, together with a good skin, 



