280 



JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



placing a ring of animals, as it would be to reach a harbor 

 on a vessel without a steering gear. Type is merely an 

 indicator, based on average results secured from a large 

 number of individuals, but in itself is no guarantee of 

 production. 



Quality in the dairy cow is indicated by the skin, oily 

 secretions, hair, bone, joints and ears. The skin should be 

 thinner than with the beef cow, but equally mellow and 

 perhaps more pliable. If grasped along the ribs, especially 

 in front, it will often "handle like a mole-skin," tilling the 

 hand with a soft and pliable mass. The secretions of the 

 dairy animal are shown in the oil or grease to be found 

 within the ears, and in the skin, especially on the udder, 

 the inner thighs and end of tail. This oil is usually yellow 

 in color, and is a product of the sebaceous glands in the 

 skin. Dairy cattlemen attach especial significance to this 



Mg. 154. — "If grasped along the ribs, especially in front, it will often 

 'handle like a mole-skin,' filling the hand with a soft and pliable mass." 



