208 DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



not be interpreted to mean corn is not a safe food. There 

 is no time in the life of a dairy cow where it cannot be fed, 

 if used with moderation and in combination with other 

 suitable foods. 



Factors Influencing the Size. Question 5. How would 

 you proceed if you wished to develop especially large animals ? 



Under this head we found 18 per cent of the breeders 

 mentioned the selection of large parents, 82 per cent liberal 

 feeding, and 17 per cent late calving as the factors to be 

 taken into account. Our investigation so far bears out the 

 breeders' opinions. We find liberal feeding of grain when 

 young not only causes a much more rapid growth and 

 development, but makes a somewhat larger animal in the 

 end. The growing period of the light-fed heifer is longer, 

 and if .they do not come into milk until three years of age, 

 they are not undersized. However, if they calve at 20 to 

 24 months, and thereafter at intervals of twelve months, they 

 remain somewhat undersized. We find the character of the 

 ration fed and the age of calving both to be factors influenc- 

 ing the size of the animal when mature. Continued selection 

 of large parents would unquestionably tend to increase the 

 size. However, according to the principles of heredity as 

 now understood, parents made larger or smaller than normal 

 by the food received will not transmit this characteristic to 

 their young. If a cow or bull is undersized by inheritance, 

 however, it is probable the offspring will inherit the same 

 tendency. 



Bulky Rations as Influencing Digestive Capacity. Ques- 

 tion 7. Does your observation indicate that the liberal 

 feeding of roughness while young helps to develop a strong 

 digestion? 



