34 ELEMENTS OF DAIRY TYPE 



thereafter of maintaining in repair the nnneeded and unused 

 portion. Just so with the cow. She produces nothing, she only 

 transforms. If she transforms into flesh an unduly large amount 

 of feed consumed she not only has almost Avasted the amount 

 of feed required to produce this extra weight, but is also handi- 

 capped thereafter by being compelled to support or maintain a 

 live weight larger than is needed for the work being done. 



Dairy temperament suggests that lean but placid expression 

 commonly found in the best dairy producers. 



Constitution. — The question of the physical ability of the 

 animal made up as just described to withstand the physical 

 hardships of life continually arises. Any animal to be first- 

 class must have constitution, but what is constitution ? If we 

 answer this question " Constitution is the ability of any animal 



A B C 



D f f 



Fra. 10. — With equal consumption the cow that requires least for maintenance has the 

 most left for production. 



to perform its life work and remain in health throughout a 

 reasonably long life," then we must conclude that the angular 

 build of the dairy cow does not lessen its constitution. It is a 

 popular notion that any animal to have constitution must have 

 a broad as well as deep chest. Immature students often con- 

 fuse fleshiness with constitution (Fig. 11). The dairy cow 

 should have a deep chest and one moderately broad at the floor 

 of the chest, or in other words, there must be room in the chest 

 cavity for large lungs for the purifying of a large quantity of 

 blood and for a large, strong heart for the pumping of this 

 large blood quantity (Fig. 12). 



Constitution includes, however, that intangible item of 

 nerve. This element is best illustrated in the case of horses. 

 Some thin, deep-chested horses are able to work, run or fight 

 the larger, heavier horses literally to the grave. Another item 



