JUDGING DAIRY CATTLE 77 



points* is at best but a stimulus to the study of them, and 

 it is only with this in mind that the various scales of 

 points are submitted here in this work. That which fol- 

 lows is used at the London and Canadian Dairy Show ag 

 a basis for making awards : Twenty points for constitu- 

 tion and conformation, one point for each pound of milk, 

 twenty points for each pound of fat, four points for each 

 pound of solids not fat, one point for each ten days in 

 milk after the first twenty days (limit 200 days) ; ten 

 points is deducted from the total score for each per cent 

 of fat below three per cent fat in the milk, 



While the judging of dairy cattle by points may not 

 be completely satisfactory, it is a quick method for use 

 in the show ring and it assists in the study of the many 

 traits that are common to dairy cattle. Its value does 

 not lie in the degree to which it assists in distinguishing 

 the good cows from the bad ones but chiefly for the in- 

 sight which it gives into the nature aud functions of the 

 dairy animal, and it is the deeper knowledge of them 

 that leads to- better care, more intelligent feeding and 

 more successful breeding, which all culminate in greater 

 production. 



128. Dairy Cow's Function. To be able to draw cor- 

 rect inferences from the points of the dairy cow, it is 

 necessary to understand her function and how she per- 

 forms it. The function of the dairy cow is to make milk, 

 so that it is desirable to have a complete knowledge of 

 how she does this and more especially the operation of 

 the chief organs employed in the process. After studying 

 this so as to see the work performed by each part, it is 

 then realized that the type of the dairy cow is produced 

 simply by the activity of these parts and it is in this 

 way that it is possible to obtain a clear conception of 

 the close relation of function or work, to type. 



129. Making of Milk. To understand how milk is 

 made let us follow the course of the food after entering 

 the cow's mouth. From there it passes into the gullet 



