Hand-milking and Udder-growth. 23 



ly, the largest yielding cows of permanent capacity Avill in 

 a few years be found in the largest numbers. 



The same rule applies to Europe, where the best dairy 

 cows, at present known — by which are meant the largest 

 producers of milk— are found in the humid climates of the 

 coast country, both in west Scotland, and from Gascony in 

 the south of France, along the low coast countries oi 

 north France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and portions 

 of Norway, and in humid localities farther inland. Grass 

 is the natural food of the cow family, and where they con- 

 sume the largest bulk of this succulent feed, there they will 

 yield the most milk, and form the largest udders, with but 

 few exceptions. 



Humidity in the atmosphere adds much to the succu- 

 lence of grass and permanency of pasturage, producing the 

 largest milk-yield. The size of cows' udders, from the in- 

 crease of yield, and its expansive force and weight-strain 

 or gravitation, depend to a great extent on the abundance 

 and succulency of their food ; which again depends, at least 

 in the growing season, on humidity of climate. Soiling 

 and wetting feed, make but few exceptions to this general 

 fact, on account of the attendant labor. 



The cow is not by all believed the machine she is fre- 

 quently alleged to be; but a living organism, with the 

 power of changing food into blood, and organizing blood 

 into milk, flesh, bone, and vital, living growth or tissue, 

 according to exercise, breathing, and muscular power, 

 upon which digestive power as the basis of milk yield, 

 necessarily depends. When Newton saw an apple fall he 

 found — that the apple fell downward in consequence of its 

 weight-force or gravity ; and it is no less true that, while 

 expansive force enlarges the udder at its sides and forward, 

 gravitation or the weight-force of yield also increases its 

 depth and interior capacity, - 



