JUDGING DAIRY CATTLE 89 



lessening degree tlie records of those that preceded her. 

 Next in importance to this is the number and the merit of 

 the performances of the cows that are mentioned in the 

 sires' line. Not only should the dams in the pedigrees 

 have good records as performers, but the males should al.so 

 be getters of performers. A bull that has breeding of high 

 order based on performance, is as certain as things can be 

 to sire superior stock, provided he is satisfactory as an in- 

 dividual. 



150. Qualities Associated with Individuah'ty. Impressive 

 power or prepotency and constitution are indicated to a cer- 

 tain extent by the individual. The first mentioned may be 

 estimated with some certainty by the masculine appearance 

 of the bull in the head, horn, and crest; while the consti- 

 tution is reflected by the depth of chest, the size of the na- 

 vel and the general appearance of the hair, hide, and eye, 

 as these are closely associated with thrift and vigor. The 

 type in other respects should be that outlined for the dairy 

 cow. A very common defect in the form of the dairy bull 

 is roundness of the hips and undue fullness of the thighs, 

 traceable to heaviness of flesh in these regions. 



The hip bones and the hocks should be prominent and 

 between these points there should be a marked falling away 

 due to the absence of any tendency towards fatness in this 

 region. The undeveloped teats should be large and well 

 placed and the navel should be prominent. The skin, 

 especially where it gathers in loose folds between the thighs 

 and at other points, should be soft, pliable and rich in color. 

 All points should show much more openness and relaxation 

 than is customary in beef animals, for this characteristic 

 appears to be prevalent among deep milking types. 



151. Judging Calves. In the selection of the best calves 

 the merit of the dam as a dairy cow is a valuable guide but 

 it is not a point that is usually employed in show yard 

 judging. In reference to the form of heifer calves the type 



