ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. HI 



We have not time to go back and follow the history of the 

 cow down to the present day, or the characteristics of the differ- 

 ent breeds. The dairy cow is a cow, bred, fed and handled for 

 the single purpose of producing milk, the quantity and quality 

 of said milk determining the value of the cow and the amount 

 of profit her owner shall receive. 



As the quality is determined by inheritance, it remains for 

 the owner to apply his skill in developing the quantity and pre- 

 serving the quality. By that, I mean, if a cow is born with the 

 ability to produce 5 or 6 per cent, milk, no foods or system of 

 feeding can materially increase that per cent, of butter fat. 



But, it is very easy to feed so as to reduce that per cent, 

 of fat; hence the necessity of the dairyman's learning at the out- 

 set that nothing but a well balanced food ration, and careful 

 handling under favorable conditions will enable any dairy cow 

 to do her best. 



Now, let us for a moment, study the outlines of a dairy cow. 

 She should possess a long, thin head, large nostrils for plenty of 

 air, great breadth between the eyes, high forehead, a bright, 

 clear eye, sound teeth, thin neck, deep through the chest, 

 with large lung capacity, long, large backbone for plenty of nerve 

 force, broad hips, high pelvic arch, thin thighs well apart, giving 

 plenty of room for a good udder. She should be deep through 

 the flanks, with plenty of store-room for food; the udder should 

 be well developed, running well up behind and well forward on 

 the body, with large milk veins, teats set evenly on the four 

 quarters, and of good size. A cow with these points well de- 

 veloped indicates that she is descended from a line of dairy cows, 

 and will rarely prove a failure if properly handled from birth up. 



I find that we can improve the ordinary cow of the present 

 day, which has been bred chiefly to producing short horn beef, 

 by using a thorough bred Holstein sire. No other breed seems 

 to possess the ability so strongly, to transmit the dairy form, and 

 the capacity to produce a large quantity of milk. 



The off-spring retains a good quality of milk, is easy to keep 

 in good flesh, is of large size, and comes wonderfully near 

 making a good ''general purpose cow," that can distance the 



