90 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



and so improved as quickly as other stock ; but this method was not adopted 

 till quite recently. Breeders persisted in relying upon what they took to be 

 the outward signs of good dairy cattle rather than adopt the only sure and 

 reliable method by which they could be identified. Some of the signs they 

 relied upon are, no doubt, of value, as, for instance, the character and size of 

 the udder; but others, such as the wedge-shaped shoulder, the long, thin 

 neck, the long head — in some breeds it has to be short — and a general un- 

 willingness to lay on " flesh," or, rather fat, to say nothing of such things as 

 a thin tail or the way the hairs are turned upon the udder, are open to serious 

 doubt. As an instance of the unreliability of one of these signs only, and 

 that, perhaps, the most important, since it involves some of tlie others, it 

 need only be mentioned that cases of Aberdeen Angus cows giving five and 

 six gallons of milk a day, and of others giving over a thousand gallons of 

 milk during a normal lactation have been recorded, while a well-known 

 Irishman rears three or four, and sometimes even five, calves upon Hereford 

 cows within the year. 



There being thus few data in the United Kingdom upon which any 

 theory as to the inheritance of milk-yield could be built up, the present 

 inquiry was begun some five or six years ago by a visit to Denmark, because 

 it was known the Danes had raised the milk-yield of their cows greatly in 

 recent years, and it was hoped a study of their methods might throw some 

 light upon the problem. 



Staats Consuleut Morkeberg of Copenliagen gave ready and kind assist- 

 ance in explaining the method, in suggesting districts and farms to be visited, 

 and in giving introductions to individual breeders. Staats Consulent Appel 

 of Aarhus also wrote about the Danish method, and gave advice as to districts 

 and farmers to be visited. Two years ago an opportunity occurred of meeting 

 Mr. Morkeberg again and discussing some of the points once more. 



The foundation of tlie Danish method was the keeping of milk records. 

 Upon the evidence furnished by these came the knowledge that many cows 

 were not paying their way or were occupying room that others might occupy 

 to greater profit. Then arose the demand for the sons of good milking cows 

 as stock-bulls. 



It was seen from the records that good milkers were usually the daughters 

 of good milkers, and poor milkers tlie daughters of poor ones. It was seen 

 also that some bulls left better daugliters than others ; and although, for the 

 want of records, it would not have been easy to prove in tlie early days 

 that the sires of good milking daughters were usually the sons of good 

 milking dams, it was generally agreed that it was safer to err on the side 

 that presumably had most chances in its favour and assume that milk-yield 



