336 FARM ANIMALS 



pounds. These small animals are accustomed to adverse 

 conditions and produce a large quantity of milk for their 

 size. Their color is black. They are not found to any 

 extent in America. 



Note. The French Canadian cattle originated in the province of 

 Quebec. They are black in color and resemble the Jerseys in con- 

 formation. They are a rugged breed of cattle, adapted to roughing 

 it in a cold climate. They give a good supply of milk, which they 

 produce very economically. 



The Cow as a Machine. --There can be no question 

 that the breeding of cattle for milk production has 

 greatly increased the ability of certain animals to trans- 

 form the food given to them into milk. 



If one is selling butter or milk on the test, or the 

 number of pounds of butter fat that it contains, it is 

 good business sense to keep such cows as will produce 

 most economically the product that one is selling. A 

 cow should be considered a machine for the production 

 of milk or butter fat. If she can produce 400x3 pounds 

 of milk in a year, she may be kept at a profit; if she 

 produces less than that amount, she is probably being 

 kept at a loss and should be disposed of regardless 

 of her beauty or her breed. The farmer should weigh 

 the milk of each cow in his herd and determine which 

 cows are profitable and should keep no others. More 

 than one half of the cows in many herds are being kept 

 at a loss. Weighing the milk of each cow will determine 

 which cows to eliminate. 



Note. Some butter-fat records. The average 'production of 

 butter fat for the cows in the United States is less than 145 pounds 

 each. An elimination of unprofitable cows would easily double the 

 average production. The following are some of the most notable rec- 

 ords of dairy cows: 



