22 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



card in some respects ; for example, on account of a weak 

 fore udder or a sloping rump, they showed the important 

 characteristics described later in every case. On the other 

 hand, some cows exhibit all the characteristics of high pro- 

 ducers in regard to type, but fail in not having sufficient stim- 

 ulation to produce large quantities of milk. To judge a dairy 

 cow with any accuracy, she must be in milk, and preferably 

 near the best stage of her milking period. A dry cow offers 

 in most cases very little upon which to base judgment. A 

 dairy cow thin in flesh from underfeeding is also in a con- 

 dition that makes it almost impossible to form any estimate 

 of her value. 



Development of the Barrel; 4 The dairy cow that is a 

 heavy producer must have large organs of digestion in order 

 to utilize the enormous quantities of feed necessary to produce 

 large quantities of milk. This results in the development of 

 a large barrel, as that part of the animal's body between the 

 fore and rear legs is called. A high producing cow has wide- 

 sprung ribs and a deep abdomen, giving great capacity for 

 the digestive tract and other vital organs. An animal lack- 

 ing in this barrel capacity cannot use sufficient feed to be 

 a large producer. The age of the animal has some influence 

 on the size and depth of the abdomen. The depth of the 

 barrel increases some with the age of the cow. The feeding 

 of a ration consisting mostly of bulky feeds, as hay and silage, 

 also tends to give the appearance of a greater barrel capacity 

 from the greater contents of the digestive tract. In con- 

 sidering the barrel development of a cow, the depth as 

 viewed from the side should be observed, then the width 

 as viewed from behind. Some animals show a great 

 depth, but on account of being narrow have no more real 



