THE SHORT-HORNS AS MILKERS. 215 



THE SHORT-HORNS AS MILKERS. 



Our history has fully shown that from the earliest period the Short- 

 horn cows, as a rule, were large milkers, and when cultivated with a 

 view to dairy purposes no animals of any breed excelled, and few if 

 any equaled them. When milk has been the main object in their 

 keeping, no cows have made larger yields according to the consump- 

 tion of food than they. 



Even in our own time we have frequent records of cows, in the 

 height of the grass season, giving 24 to 36, and even 40 quarts per 

 day. Numerous notes of the kind may be found attached to the 

 pedigrees of cows in the several volumes of the American Herd Book, 

 and the yields of butter have been correspondingly large. It is not 

 necessary to quote these items, as every one acquainted with the race 

 will call to mind more or less of them. It is true, as a rule, that the 

 cow which is a profuse milker must be comparatively lean in flesh, 

 which detracts from her appearance when by the side of one other- 

 wise equally good, or perhaps inferior in quality, which gives little 

 milk, and runs more to flesh. Yet the large milker, when dried off 

 and fed, may present as fine a form and development as another 

 which never gave more milk than would nurse a calf for five or six 

 months after birth, even in cases where the feeding is equal in quality. 

 It may be added that the heavy milker requires more feed during her 

 dairy season than the ot4*er, while the latter carries a heavy carcass 

 of flesh ; but the additional food is more than compensated in the 

 milk or butter she yields. 



In the wide beef-producing districts of our country where milk is of 

 little object beyond that of nursing a calf to the proper age of wean- 

 ing, the milking faculty of the Short-horn cow has been partially 

 bred out, but it is capable of being restored in a few generations by 

 the application of bulls descended from herds where the dairy quality 

 has been preserved. Indeed we have seen wonderful milkers occa- 

 sionally strike out in herds where the cows were only nominal in their 

 yields, abundantly testifying that the dairy quality is inherent in their 

 organization. As thorough-bred cows, from their much higher value 

 for breeding purposes than for dairy use, are likely for many years to 

 be devoted solely to breeding, it is not at all probable, unless for the 

 production of bulls to beget grade dairy cows, that they will be reared 

 with much regard to their lacteal qualities, unless in certain sections 

 of the country where milk, as a matter of necessity, is the chief 

 object. In this view, we have no suggestions to make other than that 



