12 



PART II. THE COW. 



THE BREED TO USE. 



The right farm found, the crops ito grow determined, and the 

 rotation arranged, the prospective milk producer must next decide 

 what sort of cattle "to keep. No man can say positively what breed 

 or class of cattle will do best under any given conditions. Any and 

 every experienced dairy farmer will, however, concede the absolute 

 necessity of using either puire breds or grades of one of the recognized 

 dairy breeds of cattle if the greatest profits are desired. 



No breed of cattle is the best breed for Canada any more than 

 for any other country. Generally speaking, the best breed is the 

 breed the man likes best. It might be ventured that under average 

 farm conditions when milk is sent to a cheese factory or shipped 

 to a city, Ayrshires, Holsteins, Dutch Belted, or the grades of any 

 one of these breeds would be suitable. Where cream is shipped, 

 where butter is manufactured on- the farm, or where milk ' is sent 

 to a creamery, then Canadians, Guernseys, Jerseys, Dairy Short- 

 horns, or the grades of any one of these breeds would be likely to 

 give most satisfactory returns. 



Besides the consideration of a market or the utilization of the 

 milk, the character of the farm to be occupied might, other things 

 being equal, exert an influence on the selection of the breed where- 

 with to work. On 'heavy land in sheltered places, where pasture is 

 abundant, the Holstein, Jersey or Guernsey would possibly give best 

 results; on lighter, more exposed, and more or less hilly land, the 

 * Ayrshire might be the best. On exposed land, where there is 

 scattered pasturage which may not be very abundant, the French 

 Canadian cow would perhaps be the most profitable. 



One fact, however, should be kept in mind: whatever breed is 

 settled upon, whether for breeding registered cattle or for grades, 

 ' stick to it.' It is possible to make a success of dairying with any 

 one of the breeds mentioned almost anywhere in Canada. Changing 

 from breed to breed means loss of time in the case of pure breds to 

 say nothing of almost certain heavy financial loss, while in the 

 case of grade herds it means almost always the most utter failure. 

 This holds of course except in the case of the breeder who has 

 strength of mind enough to make one decisive change and then 

 ' stick to it,' that is, does not try first one breed of bull and then 

 another, seeking something each time that will correct what he 



