142 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



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 wTong 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 

 blood 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 have a small body, a 

 small barrel, covered with hide and hair of the proper texture 

 and handling qualities, than a large barrel covered with a hide 

 and hair of objectionable quality. 



The two points, constitution and capacity, are both essen- 

 tial. 



The third point is the question of whether the cow is a 

 worker or a loafer. If you have been watching this cow you 

 have noticed that she has been working every minute since she 

 has been up here on the stage. Whenever a cow chews her cud 

 she is working, and the persistency with which the cow eats and 

 chews her cud is a good indication of her nervous temperament. 



Another important indication is the size and character of 

 the eye. The cow's head should be broad between the eyes, well 

 dished, and her eyes should be prominent, bright, placid and* 

 alert. The animal with dull, sluggish eyes set back in the head 

 is as a rule a loafer, standing under the shade of a tree fighting 

 flies in the summertime while her sisters are grazing back and 

 forth across the pastures gathering food for the economical and 

 profitable production of milk and butterfat. 



A further indication of the proper nervous temperament is 

 the prominent and open jointedness of the backbone. You will 

 notice as I pass my hand along this cow's back each of the 

 spinal vertebrae stand out prominently with absolutely no cover- 

 ing of beef or fat. This is an mdication that every pound of 

 food this cow has consumed, outside of what has been necessary 

 for her own maintenance, has been converted into milk and 

 butterfat. Were this a beef animal, ripe and ready for market, 



