280 JUDGING DAIRY CATTLE 



a fundamental requisite of dairy form and production. 

 Other than this indication constitution is evidenced in the 

 same manner as in the beef animal. The muzzle should be 

 large, broad, well developed, the eyes large and bright, the 

 skin pliable and elastic, the hair thick, mossy, and evenly 

 distributed over the body. The bone should be dense, fine, 

 and show every indication of refinement and form, although 

 not to the extent of delicacy. If there is weakness in the 

 vital parts of the animal, and especially in the dairy animal, it 

 is an imperfect machine and therefore cannot perform its 

 function continuously in a satisfactory manner. 



Nervous Temperament. — The term, nervous temperament, 

 is significant of the ability of an animal to utilize its food 

 other than that required for body maintenance completely 

 for milk production. It represents the exact opposite of 

 the conditions which most nearly meet maximum beef pro- 

 duction. The beef animal is lymphatic in temperament 

 and utilizes its food for body maintenance and muscle 

 and fat formation. The dairy animal is nervous in tem- 

 perament and uses its food for milk production, which 

 is contingent on directing the largest possible part of the 

 food nutrients for this purpose. The nervous tempera- 

 ment is exeanplified in the spare, open, conformation. The 

 head should be expressive of character, and clean and free 

 from excess flesh. The neck should be long and thin, the 

 withers sharp, the spine open, the ribs wide, the hook points 

 prominent, the thighs thin and incurving, the rear flanks 

 high and the barrel large. All of these points are indicative 

 of nerve force, showing that the food is elaborated or used 

 otherwise than on the body. 



Capacity. — Capacity in its strictest sense signifies the 

 ability of an animal to perform its work with a minimum 

 of food and exertion on the working organism, with a 

 maximum resulting production. An animal without barrel 

 capacity for the storage of large quantities of food will 

 be unproductive sooner or later from the standpoint 

 of profitable returns. Usually an animal will maintain 

 average development for a short time, but the heavy strain 

 of milk production soon saps the vitality of the small animal 



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