CHAPTER I. 



THE DAIRY HERD, SELECTION, BREED 

 AND BREEDINa. 



Here is the foundation of the whole dairy- 

 business. Success depends more on the herd 

 than on any other one point. Much, of course, 

 depends on the feed and care, but the best of 

 feed and care will not make a cow that has a 

 capacity for only 125 lbs. of butter annually a 

 profitable cow. 



Average cow in the United States.— When 

 we think that the average of the 16,500,000 

 cows in the United States is only 130 lbs. of 

 butter annually, according to the last census, is 

 it not time to be thinking how to improve in 

 this work? There is no doubt as to there being 

 room to improve, as there are herds in the 

 United States that average 400 lbs. and above 

 per cow annually, and herds in nearly every 

 community in the dairy sections that average 

 300 lbs. of butter per cow annually. 



Object lessohs.^ — These 300 to 400-lb. dairies 

 should be object lessons to all dairymen. What 

 one dairyman or dairywoman has done another 



