SHAPE OF DAIRY COW 



179 



qualities in the same animal. Except in the case of a few 

 of the points, such as constitution and capacity for feed, 

 that should be well developed in all animals, the form of 

 the dairy animal is strongly in contrast 

 with that of the beef animal. 



Form of the Dairy Cow. — In general 

 form the dairy cow should present wedge 

 shapes when viewed from three differ- 

 ent positions, the front, the side, and 

 the top. Viewed from the front the 

 point of the wedge appears at the top 

 of the shoulders, and the butt of the 

 wedge appears at the points of the 

 shoulders. This wedge indicates a cow 

 free from fatty tendencies on the back 

 and wide through the region of the 

 chest. Viewed from the top, one sees 

 the point of the wedge at the shoulders 

 and the butt at the points of the 

 hips. Freedom from fleshiness over 

 the shoulders and great capacity in the 

 region of the hips and pelvis are here 

 shown. From a .side view of the cow 

 one should note the great depth from 

 the top of the hips to the bottom of the 

 udder, which distance constitutes the 

 butt of the wedge. One should also 

 note the gradual decrease in depth as he 

 carries his eye forward to the shoulder. 

 This means that the barrel of the cow 

 is large, giving capacity for feed, and Fig. 71. —wedge shaped 



. shoulder and back of a 



that the udder is well developed. dairy cow. 



Fig. 70. — Wedge shaped 

 back of a dairy cow. 



