274 



THE PRINCIPLES OF AGRICULTURE 



hip should be thrown well ahead, which gives a long, powerful 

 hind quarter. The thighs, of necessity, are thin ; the flank 

 well up ; the hind leg, usually, quite crooked, and the tail long. 

 If the tail be long, it is an indication that the vertebrae of the 

 back bone are somewhat loosely united, which is an indication 

 of good milking qualities. The pony-built, smooth-made, short- 

 bodied, rotund cow is seldom a good milker. The teats should 

 be sizeable and placed wide apart ; the limbs neither too small nor 



Fig. 92. An ideal dairy cow. 



too large. The udder should not be very pendent or loose, and 

 should extend well to the rear, also well to the front, and should 

 have a broad and firm setting on the abdomen. The animal should 

 have a rugged, rather lean, but not a delicate appearance. All 

 animals, except those kept for speed, should have rather short 

 limbs, as this indicates, to some extent, constitution and power. 

 It will be noticed (Fig. 92) that the milk veins, which extend 

 from the udder forward on the abdomen, are large and promi- 

 nent. These indicate that the cow is a great milker or, in other 

 words, that an ample supply of blood has been furnished to the 

 udder by the arteries, and hence a large amount of blood must 



