66 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



solutely essential to maintain the cow's health and make it possi- 

 ble for her to do her best work, are shut out. 



The next point for consideration is capacity. Beginning 

 again at the head, you will notice on this cow the extremely large 

 mouth. Any animal with a large mouth is a good feeder. I have 

 never seen an animal with a small mouth that was a good feeder. 

 Just as truly as it is necessary for a cow to consume large amounts 

 of food in order to prove herself profitable it is necessary that her 

 mouth be well distended and large. Passing back, the body 

 should be long from the shoulders to the hip bone. The ribs 

 should be well sprung and deep, giving dimensions for a large 

 capacity or storage room, namely, — length, breadth and depth. 

 Size of barrel is an indication of the amount of food that the cow 

 can consume at one time, but with this consideration should also 

 be considered the degree of thoroughness with which the cow 

 digests and assimilates her food. Any portion of the food which 

 passes off undigested is wasted, and worse than wasted, because 

 it taxes the cow's digestive apparatus without producing any 

 gain. The strength and power of a cow's digestive apparatus 

 is indicated to a large degree by the character of the hide and hair. 



You have all noticed in the show rings the judge lift up the 

 hide and hair with his hand. It is impossible for him to look into 

 the cow to determine the character of her digestive system, but 

 he can turn his face away and by the touch or handling qualities 

 of the hide and hair there is conveyed to him by his sense of 

 touch as indicated by the hide and hair the condition of the inner 

 and vital organs of the cow. In other words, the hide and hair 

 is an outward continuation of the inner organs of the beast. If 

 the hide is hard and stiff or the hair wiry and harsh then there is 

 something wrong either temporarily or permanently with the 

 cow's digestive apparatus. If the cow's hide is soft and pliable, 

 covered with hair that is oily, soft and silky then the indication 

 is that her digestive organs and her circulation are in good active 

 condition and that she will not only consume large amounts of 

 food at one time, but she will digest it readily and thoroughly and 

 soon be ready for another feed. It is more desirable that a cow 



