274 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



always a true measure, as a big business can be 

 conducted on a small area. Forty acres of truck 

 and small fruits may equal a 200-acre farm devoted 

 to grain, hay, cattle and hogs. It is the type of 

 farming that determines the number of acres neces- 

 sary for efficient operation. Many persons have 

 made the mistake of buying too high-priced land for 

 successful general farming. In other words, they 

 paid truck farming prices for land which on ac- 

 count of market relations should be used for only 

 grain and general farming. 



The proportion of the total investment that 

 should be used as working capital is equally as im- 

 portant as the size of the investment. Generally 

 speaking, about 75 per cent to 88 per cent of the 

 farmer's investment is in real estate, the other 12 

 per cent to 25 per cent being in livestock and other 

 equipment. This proportion will vary according 

 to the type of farming followed. In regions where 



dairying is the main enterprise the amount of work- 

 ing capital may represent one-fourth of the entire 

 investment. 



A third point in the consideration of the farm- 

 er's investment is the quality of material in which 

 working capital is invested. This is especially true 

 in regard to livestock. Investigations relating to 

 profits in farming show conclusively that the effi- 

 ciency of the animals to which the crops are fed 

 is one of the most important factors in determining 

 the farmer's net income. This is to be expected, since 

 on a large majority of farms in this country the 

 bulk of the crops is in reality sold to the dairy herd 

 or to meat producing animals. If these are of such 

 poor quality that they yield low returns for their 

 feed the income to the farmer must be correspond- 

 ingly small. Hence, no matter how large the total 

 investment, if the quality of the equipment is de- 

 ficient financial failure is inevitable. 



DO YOU KNOW THE FINE POINTS OF A DAIRY COW? 



ARE you starting to build up a profitable dairy 

 herd? If so, you want to be a good judge of a 

 cow. To know how to pick out a good dairy animal 

 means saving in loss of time and money. James R. 

 Garver, head of the Dairy Extension Department of 

 Purdue University, has prepared the following rules 

 for selection of a cow : 



CONSTITUTION In order that a cow may per- 

 form, efficiently, her work of production and repro- 

 duction for a long period of time, she must have a 

 strong constitution, and the following characteristics 

 indicate this first essential point in a dairy cow. 



Large, mild, bright, expressive eyes, good width 

 of forehead, broad muzzle with large mouth and 

 nostrils, prominent windpipe, strong jaw, deep heart 

 girth, good width between front legs, full crops and 

 breast, and horns that are rather thick at the base and 

 tapering at the' ends. 



Most of these points are, more or less, closely 

 associated to the vital organs, namely, the heart and 

 lungs, which must be well developed with plenty of 

 room in which to operate properly, if an animal is to 

 have constitutional vigor. 



CAPACITY There are only a few cows of consist- 

 ent high production, but what are amply provided 

 with storage room for consuming immense quantities 

 of feed and water. The large producer is almost al- 

 ways the most profitable producer and must, there- 

 fore, be provided with a large capacity, which is in- 

 dicated by the following points : 



Great length from withers to hip bone, large 

 barrel, full crops, well sprung ribs that are broad, 

 deep,, and wide apart. 



When judging the capacity of a cow, it is im- 

 portant to notice the efficiency of her digestive organs 

 by studying her handling qualities, see whether her 

 hide is soft, pliable, of medium thickness, and covered 

 with a soft, silky coat of hair, which indicates that 

 the organs of digestion are in perfect working order. 



NERVOUS TEMPERAMENT When speaking of a 

 cow having a good nervous or dairy temperament, it 

 isn't meant that she ought to be excitable, fretful, and 



hard to manage. On the contrary, she should show a 

 disposition to work under almost any condition. The 

 cow that is busy eating or chewing her cud most of 

 the time and, at the same time, is using a medium 

 amount of the feed eaten for maintaining her own life 

 processes, is usually a profitable cow, having the fol- 

 lowing points of conformation : 



A clean, dished face; neat throat; long, slender 

 neck, that is thin and smoothly joined to the shoulders ; 

 withers sharp ; back bone prominent ; no fleshiness on 

 the shoulders, neck, withers, back, loin, rump, and 

 thighs; eyes that are large, bright, mild, expressive 

 and general actions and movements indicating more 

 or less alertness and freedom from sluggishness. 



Cows that are recognized as good workers gen- 

 erally have most of these characteristics. 



BLOOD CIRCULATION A cow may have a strong 

 constitution and a large capacity, but if her blood does 

 not circulate through the right portions of her anat- 

 omy she would be worthless as a dairy cow. 



The udder is the part of a cow's anatomy where 

 milk is manufactured, consequently, we like to see a 

 maximum amount of blood passing through this or- 

 gan. A good dairy cow should have most of her 

 blood circulating through the lower part of her ana- 

 tomy and the way to ascertain this is to study the ud- 

 der, milk veins, and milk wells. 



A large well-placed udder, hung high behind, and 

 well forward, flat on the bottom or floor, well veined, 

 accompanied with large tortuous milk veins that are 

 long, having one or more large wells, indicates 

 whether or not the cow is distributing food nutrients 

 in the right part of her body. 



ABILITY It is possible for a cow to have all 

 the essential points mentioned so far, and yet, if she 

 lacks ability she would be an absolute failure as a pro- 

 fitable milk producer. Since the udder is the milk 

 plant of the cow's conformation, we logically study 

 this organ to learn of the ability she possesses to 

 transform feed stuffs into dairy products. 



If the udder is large, shapely, snowing that it has 

 a copious blood supply, that it is free from fleshy 



