CHAPTER III. 



SELECTION OF COWS. 



Success in dairying depends in a large measure upon 

 one's ability to select the right animals in starting and 

 building up the herd. Unless adapted by nature for 

 dairy purposes, cows will remain unprofitable in spite of 

 the best feed and management. The first lesson the 

 dairyman has to learn, therefore, is to know how to dis- 

 criminate between good cows and poor cows. The 

 cardinal points to consider in the selection of a cow are : 

 (i) butter fat production; (2) type; (3) purity of breed- 

 ing; (4) pedigree; and (5) health. 



BUTTERFAT PRODUCTION. 



The best guide in the selection of cows is the actual 

 butterfat record as determined by a pair of scales and a 

 Babcock tester. It is not enough to simply know the 

 quantity of milk yielded by a cow; one must also know 

 its fat content, for it is this that measures the value of 

 milk for commercial uses as well as for butter and cheese 

 production. 



The method of determining the butterfat production 

 of cows is treated in detail in chapter IX. 



CONFORMATION OR TYPE- 



All dairy experts recognize a definite type as associated 

 with economical milk production. The judge in the 

 show ring bases his judgment entirely upon type or con- 



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