SELECTION OF COWS. 19 



the amount of milk was very good, but the Babcock test revealed a very 

 disappointing fact. The test averaged but 3%, which made 180 pounds of 

 butterfat, which would make 210 pounds of butter. 



"Beauty" never gave over 25 pounds a day but kept up her flow well 

 so that, at the end of the year, it footed up a little over 5,000 pounds with 

 an average test of 6.5%, which made 325 pounds of butterfat or 380 pounds 

 of butter. She made 170 pounds more than "Whitie" on less feed. 



Of course, "Whitie" had to go when she came fresh again. The man 

 who looked at nothing, when buying cows, but a large frame and an im- 

 mense udder, that denoted a large quantity of milk at the time of purchase, 

 bought her. But "Beauty" stayed on my farm for ten years after that, 

 giving me net profit, above the cost of feed, of from 35 to 50 dollars a year, 

 besides leaving with me many of her descendants which were excellent cows. 

 When I sold her on account of age, she did not bring much, but, after all, 

 I thought I had good reason to be satisfied with her. 



Had I kept "Whitie" a like number of years, her butter would probably, 

 judging from that one year's record, have just about paid for her feed; and her 

 female descendants would have stood a great chance of being inferior, as 

 dairy cows, to "Beauty's" descendants. There is no question in my mind 

 that "Beauty," in that ten years, paid me at least $400 more than "Whitie" 

 or a cow like her could have done. 



SELECTING COWS TO BUY. 



When one wishes to buy cows to take the place of some weeded out, or 

 to increase his herd, or to start a new herd, a different problem presents 

 itself. He cannot have the year's record for the reason that those who have 

 cows to sell have not kept a record of individual cows; or, if they have, they 

 have too much business sense to sell off their best cows. It is of no use to 

 ask the seller which are his good cows, for he will tell you they are all good, 

 and, besides, he does not know himself, because he has never made a yearly 

 test. It is of but little use to see the cow milked and take a sample and test 

 it. One can learn but very little from one milking what a cow will do for 

 a year. 



Therefore there remains but one thing to do, and that is for the buyer 

 to use his own judgment, being governed entirely by the form of the cow. 

 There is a'dairy type a form which indicates dairy ability, which the close 

 student of the dairy cow is able to recognize. 



There are cows of dairy type and of good dairy performance in nearly 

 all breeds, but they are found more nearly universal among the recognized 

 dairy breeds such as Guernsey, Jersey and Holsteins, than among other 

 breeds. There is occasionally one of dairy type and a splendid performer 

 found among some of the beef breeds; but they are exceptions to the general 

 rule ; though good performers themselves, would not be very likely to trans- 

 mit first class dairy qualities to their offspring. So it is best to hunt among 



