48 ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS. 



made iii the breeds of horses, sheep, swine, and beef animals, 

 give th^ best reason to hope for as great improvement, in the 

 character of our dairy stock. Such improvements clearly de- 

 mand extraordinary skill, judgment, experience and perseve- 

 rance, and cannot be accomplished but after a length of 

 time. 



Your Committee regret that few systematic attempts for ef- 

 fecting this object on an extended scale have come within their 

 knowledge. No better mode for promoting it on the part of the 

 Society suggests itself to your Committee than to encourage by 

 liberal premiums every deserving effort towards this object ; such 

 is the exhibition of cows distinguished for their product, the in- 

 troduction and retaining of them in the County, the rearing of 

 the calves, the liberal feeding of these animals, which is indis- 

 pensable to their growth and vigor ; and the requiring, in re- 

 spect to bulls presented for the premiums of this Society, not 

 only good size, form, and appearance, but evidence that they are 

 descended from a good milking stock ; since it is plain that these 

 improvements, if carried to any extent, will depend as much on 

 the character of the bull as the cow. 



Your Committee in reference to this stock consider two inqui- 

 ries as mainly important ; first as to the quantity, second as to 

 the quality of their produce. The length of time between her 

 calvings, during which a cow may be kept in milk, depends 

 more upon the manner in which she is fed and milked, especially 

 with her first calf, than upon any constitutional predisposition or 

 capacity. The quality of the milk of a cow is supposed by many 

 persons to bear an inverse proportion to the quantity given by her, 

 but this is not invariable. In respect to the same animal it is cer- 

 tain, that at a season when she gives the largest quantity of 

 milk, its quality for producing cream will be inferior to what it is 

 when the quantity is diminished ; but it is by no means as cer- 

 tain, that the larger the quantity of milk given by any cow, the 

 poorer its quality ; on the contrary, instances are known in 

 which cows have given milk both in the greatest abundance 

 and of the richest kind. The quality of the milk depends, in 

 some measure on the nature of the food, the length of time the 



