170 Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



The hind legs should be placed well apart, and they should come 

 down straight. If the toes point outward and the hocks come close 

 together, the conformation is weak and there is not sufficient room for 

 the udder. 



The udder of the dairy cow comes in for special attention, ranking 

 in importance with the chest and barrel, the three being fundamental 

 in the make-up of a successful dairy cow. The udder's size, texture, 

 shape, and teats should be carefully studied. 



Size of udder. — The udder should be large, carrying well forward 

 along the belly, and extending far backward and high up between the 

 hind legs. When a side view of the cow is taken as she stands in 

 natural position, the udder should carry out far in front of the hind 

 legs, and the swell of the rear quarters of the udder should be plainly 

 evident back of the leg. The udder should also be wide in its attach- 

 ment to the body throughout, and there should be much fullness of 

 udder from side to side, with good width also across the floor (lower 

 surface) of the udder. A measurement of nearly six feet around the 

 udder has been reported, just two inches less than the cow's heart- 

 girth. The udders of heifers are often deceptive, having much greater 

 capacity than the exterior indicates. This is because the udder is 

 held snugly against the abdominal wall; but with increase in age and 

 yield of milk, the added weight produces some relaxation of the 

 supporting tissues, and the udder becomes more pendulous and 

 prominent. 



Texture of udder. — Two sorts of tissue mainly compose the 

 udder — glandular tissue and connective tissue. The former is the seat 

 of secretory activity, and the latter serves the purpose of a framework 

 or support. More or less fatty tissue is also present. Naturally, it 

 is very important that there be a large proportion of glandular tissue 

 and a relatively small amount of connective tissue. This is determined 

 by examining the udder with the hands for mellowness, which indicates 

 that the udder is largely glandular; or still better by having the cow 

 milked, when the udder should show much decrease in size, and the 

 skin covering it should shrivel. When the udder is composed largely 

 of connective tissue, if feels firm and is referred to as "meaty," and 

 when it is milked out, the yield of milk is small and the udder shows 

 little or no decrease in size. Unfortunately, meaty udders usually 

 excel in shape and appearance, while the most glandular ones have not 

 suflScient connective tissue to properly support them, the heavy weight 

 causing them to hang down rather loosely to form what is called a 

 "pendant" udder. Many large producers have such udders, whereas 

 it is a fact that the type of udder that wins in the show ring is often 

 lacking in milk capacity. The skin and hair covering the udder should 



