DAIRY BREEDS OF CATTLE 665 



demand excellence in conformation and characteristics pertaining to 

 dairy type are fulfilled by many cattle of the breed. Development for 

 usefulness rather than for beauty of form has resulted in a lack of refine- 

 ment and neatness of outline in a good many of the cattle. The compara- 

 tively few Guernsey cattle in the country encouraged breeders to retain all 

 pure-bred animals and this accounts for much of the lack of uniformity 

 that exists. The American Guernsey Cattle Club was first to establish 

 an advanced registry for official annual productions of milk and butter-fat 

 and this again has been a standard toward which breeders have worked 

 to a greater extent in many instances than they have for excellence of 

 form. Marked improvement, however, in uniformity and excellence of 

 dairy form has been noted in the show herds exhibited during the past 

 few years. 



In color the Guernsey is a shade of fawn, varying from dark-red to 

 light-yellow with white markings. The color of the muzzle in most 

 instances, which is regarded as most desirable, is buff or flesh color. A 

 dark muzzle is permissible but undesirable on the part of critical judges. 

 More emphasis is laid upon rich yellow secretion in the skin, especially 

 in the ear and at the end of the tail, together with a yellowish appearance 

 of the horns and hoofs than is laid upon the color markings. The rich 

 orange secretions of the body are believed to indicate a rich yellow color 

 of the milk, which is regarded as a most important Guernsey characteristic. 

 Guernse3 r milk is not only yellow but of good quality, testing in the neigh- 

 borhood of five per cent. The yield of milk under ordinary conditions 

 should be 6000 to 7000 pounds per annum. Under official tests, many 

 Guernseys have far exceeded this amount. In three instances Guernsey 

 cows have held the world's championship record in butter-fat production. 

 The highest official yearly record of milk and butter-fat production held 

 by a Guernsey cow was made by Murne Cowan, 19597, owned by O. C. 

 Barber, Akron, Ohio, her production amounting to 24,008 pounds of 

 milk, testing 4.57 per cent and 1098.18 pounds of butter-fat. 



HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN 



Origin and Development. — Holstein-Friesian cattle, commonly called 

 Holsteins in America, have their origin in Friesland, a province of Holland 

 bordering on the North Sea, where low, fertile dyke lands have been 

 favorable for the development of a large breed of cattle capable of making 

 large productions of milk. Histoiy records that for a thousand or more 

 years these cattle had been bred and utilized for dairy purposes. Since 

 1885 they have been extensively introduced into most of the dairy sections 

 of America and because of their large size and the large quantity of milk 

 which it is characteristic of them to produce, the breed ranks as one of 

 the most popular. 



Characteristics of Holstein-Friesian Cattle. — The type and size of 

 the cattle of this breed varies considerably and the terms "beef," "beef 



