212 



OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



BULT,, FRF.Xni BRF.F.n 



If we glance at the exterior 

 of the cow we shall see that 

 just as the draft fix differs 

 from the ox intended for 

 slaughter so the milch cow 

 differs greatly in appearance 

 from the cow kept for the 

 shambles. Generall)' the 

 milkers are not fattened until 

 later ; those for butchering 

 ha\-e abundant fat upon their 

 sides. The flesh ought to be 

 S(.)lid and elastic, mellow and 

 yet firm. If pressed upon, 

 the mark of the pressure 

 i")ught to disapi)ear quickly. 

 The tender flesh for meat 

 will be found on those parts of the animal 



where there was least movement during its life; 

 for instance, the loins, the sides, and the por- 

 tion of the back just above the tail. The parts 

 of least value are about the head, neck, and 

 legs. 



III. The Dairy Type 



The milch cow should have a very soft, mellow 

 skin and fine, silky hair. The head should be 

 narrow and long, with great width between the 

 eyes. This last-mentioned characteristic is an 

 indication of great nervous force, an important 

 c[ualit)' for the heavy milker. The neck of a 

 good dairy cow is long and thin ; the shoulders 



] .\ h( (I I I \M) 



An Ami-:ric.\x T\'I'1-: 



are thin and lithe, and narrow at the top ; the 

 back is open, thin, and tapering toward the tail; 

 the hips are wide apart, and covered with but 

 little meat. The good cow is also thin in the 

 region of the thigh and flank, but very deep 

 through the stomach girth, made so by long, open 

 ribs. The udder is large, attached well forward 

 on the abdomen and high behind. It should be 

 full but not fleshy. The lacteal or milk veins 

 ought also to be large, and extended considerably 

 toward the front legs. 



Milch cattle, which were formerly judged only 

 by their external appearance, are now required 

 to fulfill demands of breeding based on careful 

 and precise notes made from generation to 

 generation and recorded in books of genealogy 



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