CHAPTER I 



Five Essentials of a Productive Cow 



The fundamental functions of the cow are production and 

 reproduction. Her intrinsic value depends upon the efficiency 

 with which she accomplishes these duties. 



A careful ^tudy of any great producing cow reveals the 

 manner in which she accomplishes her purpose. Viewed 

 from the standpoint of production, she must eat and digest 

 food, she must breathe, her blood must circulate, and she 

 must yield milk and butterfat, all of which is work. 



If her efforts along these lines are efifective, certain por- 

 tions of her body and certain characteristics assert them- 

 selves accordingly and may be termed the essential points 

 that indicate great and economical production. 



There are five of these essential points that must be 

 present and well developed in the external form of a cow if 

 she proves herself a profitable producer of milk and butterfat 

 under present conditions. These are the indications of con- 

 stitution, capacity, nervous temperament, blood circulation 

 and ability. 



If all of these points are present it may safely be con- 

 sidered that the cow will be highly productive if she is given 

 the proper care and the treatment to which she is entitled. 



Each Point Is Vital 



So vital is each to great, economical and persistent per- 

 formance that it is difficult to classify them in order of im- 

 portance. Each is dependent upon the other. If any one is 

 lacking in development the machinery is incomplete, and he 

 who milks such a beast does not milk a cow — only a part of 

 a cow. She is like a gasoline engine with a corroded spark 

 plug, a leaky gasoline tank, weak batteries, an undersized 

 piston or. an inefficient governor. Satisfactory results can- 

 not reasonably be expected. 



It often occurs that breeders in their eager desire to 

 breed cows of phenomenal ability overlook the importance 

 of the other points, and, when it seems they have succeeded 

 in their achievements and most excellent results appear to 

 be secured, it is found that their animals lack constitution, 

 and, although they yield almost abnormally for a short period, 

 they do not have the strength to continue with the heavy 

 work ; some of them die and others revert to the state of 



[11] 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



