CHAPTER VI 

 ELEMENTS OF DAIRY TYPE 



" The productive capacity of a cow depends more upon type 

 and conformation, than upon size or breed." ^ 



It lias long been recognized with some classes of animals 

 that those of a certain conformation or type were better adapted 

 to certain work than those of other build; thus the greyhound 

 for running; the broad, massive horse for draft. But with 

 cattle the elficiency of type has been slow of recognition. 



The essential economy of the dairy type cow was first clearly 

 demonstrated in 1894,^ when it was shown that a " beef type " 

 cow used IY.5 cents' worth of feed to produce a pound of butter 

 fat, whereas a " dairy type " cow produced a pound for only 

 12.1 cents, it therefore costing nearly 50 per cent more feed to 

 produce butter fat with a beef type than with a dairy type cow. 



The matter was more fully demonstrated and clearly set 

 forth, however, in 1900^ for dairy cattle, while in 1905 the 

 desirability of the " beef " type animal where meat making is 

 the principal aim, was shown experimentally. 



The elements or factors of what is meant by dairy type may 

 be summed up in a few paragraphs, as follows: 



Capacity for consuming an abundance of feed is the most 

 striking single feature of a cow possessing dairy type in marked 

 degree. A large barrel is necessary for the mere holding of a 

 large quantity of feed and the organs necessary for its digestion. 

 The importance of this feature becomes strikingly apparent 

 when we consider that the feed cost of maintenance of a cow is 

 practically in proportion to her live weight. That is to say, two 

 cows each weighing 1000 pounds will require for their daily 

 support essentially the same amount of feed whether they are 



' Haecker, T. L., Minn. Bui. No. 35. 

 ' Haeeker, T. L., Minn. Bui. No. 67. 

 ^Kennedy, et. al., Iowa Bui. No. 81. 



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