THE JUDGING OF COWS 119 



be visualized thus: If imaginary lines are drawn 

 from the extreme outside points of the hip-bones to 

 the outside points of the shoulders and then con- 

 tinued forward, they should meet at a point some 

 little distance in front. The same is true of lines 

 along the spine and belly, although it will be under- 

 stood that this can hardly be demonstrated with 

 the exactness of a problem in Euclid. Let it be 

 said, however, in the most emphatic manner that 

 a good cow is wedge-shaped not because she is 

 narrow in front but because she is broad behind. 

 The distinction is most fundamental. If the wedge 

 shape is secured only at the expense of a restricted 

 heart and lung cavity, it is all wrong. A roomy, 

 wide-spread pelvis is necessary to shelter the or- 

 gans of reproduction and to give easy room for 

 the attachment of a capacious udder. This udder 

 cannot be easily swung if the cow has thighs like 

 a beef steer, hence we look for "cat hams" and an 

 animal "high in the twist." 



Most score-cards ask for a cow with a back "level 

 from the point of the withers to the setting on 

 of the tail-head," or similar phrasing. This means 

 that a sloping rump is not desirable. This is per- 

 haps a rather "fancy" point but a sloping rump is 

 very often correlated with an udder hung too far 

 forward and with poor rear udder development. 



A cow "down in the back" or "sway-backed" is 

 undesirable from the viewpoint of beauty or ^m- 

 metry and it is always preferable to have the back 



