JUDGING THE DAIEY COW IN SCHOOLS. 9 



Side wedge : The side wedge is best observed by standing 30 feet 

 or more from the cow and to her side. The lines of this wedge are 

 the top and bottom lines of the cow. The point of the wedge is at 

 the nose and the wide part at the flank. This wedge is most com- 

 monly defective on account of the top line not being straight. This 

 may be caused by a sway back, a drooping rump, or a neck which is 

 set at an angle to the back. A sway back or a sloping rump is much 

 more serious than a neck which forms an angle with the backbone. 



Lack of depth in the flank is a serious defect in the side wedge 

 of a dairy cow and is usualh^^ accompanied with lack of capacity in 

 the barrel and faultj^ mammary development. The angle of all 

 wedges should be as wide as possible. The bottom line of the cow, 

 forming one side of this wedge, can not be expected to be straight in 

 the same sense that the top line is straight. There will be depressions 

 and irregularities, but the general outline of the wedge should be 

 present. The lower line will begin at the nose, touch at the brisket, 

 follow the lower line of the stomach, and touch the lowest point in 

 the udder. 



Top wedge : The point of the top wedge is at the withers, with the 

 lines drawn on either side between the point of the withers and the 

 hip bones. The plane of the wedge is horizontal, while those of the 

 side and front wedges are perpendicular. This wedge is defective 

 when the withers are not sharp, the lines not straight, or the hip 

 bones not wide enough apart. The lines are not straight when the 

 ribs are not well sprung or when the loins are weak. 



Front wedge : The point of the front wedge is at the withers. The 

 lines follow the shoulder blades, the wide part being at the junction 

 of the shoulder blades and the forelegs. The wedge shape seems 

 to have a direct relation to dairy production in the dairy cow, but 

 inasmuch as this relation in most cases is in connection with indi- 

 vidual organs it will come up under a detailed discussion of the parts. 



Size: Other things being equal, the larger an animal, the better. 

 Generally size and quality are not closely correlated and the dairy- 

 man is led to choose a happy medium. It is true, however, that an 

 undersized animal is undesirable even though it possesses extreme 

 quality. The aim should be to obtain all the size possible with good 

 (juality. 



Quality. — Quality is indicated by a thin, loose, pliable skin; 

 medium-sized, clean, closely knit bones, and firm, clean, muscular 

 tissue (fig. 6). The mucous membranes are the extension of the 

 external skin; coarseness in the hide indicates the same condition 

 in the mucous membrane. The niembriines of the stomach and 

 intestines are active agents in th(^ digestion and assimilation of the 

 feed. Experience and observation show that coarseness or stiffness 

 in the skin is likely to be as.sociatc(l with f)Oor digestive and assimi- 



•WSGli''— I5U1I. 4.34— 16- 2 



