CONSTITUTION 279 



animal. Heavy framed, coarse-boned dairy animals usually 

 convert a larger comparative amount of food into body fat 

 and maintenance than animals of fine texture and quality. 



An examination for quality is made by the hand to deter- 

 mine the pliability and elasticity of the skin, fineness, and 

 texture of the hair. If there is a tendency toward harshness 

 or dryness in the skin or hair it is significant of inferior 

 quality or temporary ill health. Ordinarily it is the former. 

 Other than the examination made by the hand, quality is 

 evidenced in the fineness or texture of the bone, clean-cut 

 lines, sharp withers, long, thin neck, and general refinement 

 or expression. Some judges lay considerable stress on the 

 waxy, yellowish condition of the interior of the ears and the 

 fineness of the hair thereon. Guernsey admirers are especially 

 ardent in their application of this principle to determine 

 quality and richness of milk in the breed. 



Constitution. — The constitution of a dairy animal is of 

 more than usual significance. The value of such an animal 

 is not only dependent on present capacity or usefulness but 

 on the length of time which production will be normally and 

 profitably continued. This involves durability or vitality. As 

 the form of the dairy cow naturally precludes the highest 

 development in constitutional capacity, it is especially sig- 

 nificant that this attribute receive close consideration. While 

 a dairy animal need not be weak in constitution or low in 

 vitality the peculiar type of the animal naturally favors such 

 a condition. Naturally the wedge-shaped form minimizes 

 the space in which the vital organs may develop and perform 

 their function. Constitution should be equally correlated 

 with the other factors essential to heavy and economical 

 production. Naturally the development of the body or 

 barrel and the organs of milk production magnify these 

 parts and minimize the chest capacity on which a vigorous 

 constitution largely depends. 



Constitution, as in other animals, is evidenced by depth 

 of body in the chest region and extreme width through the 

 lower portion of the ribs and on the chest floor. The true 

 dairy form involves a light and spare development at the 

 withers, thus to perfect the true wedge-shape accepted as 



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