168 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



COW JUDGING. 



Prof. R. S. Hulce, University of Illinois. 



''It requires much experience and the development of keen 

 observation to become a good judge of dairy cows. Character- 

 istics of good dairy cows can be brought out by a demonstra- 

 tion given by a person who is familiar with the points that go to 

 make up dairy type, or b}' studying the characteristics of good 

 producers in herds where the records of milk production are 

 being kept. 



The most accurate way to judge the milk producing ability 

 of a dairy cow is by means of the milk scales and a Babcock 

 tester. In the future the actual producing ability of cows, 

 grades and purebreds, as determined by the milk scales and Bab- 

 cock test, is going to influence the selling price more than it has 

 in the past. Abiding the time when a yearly record of produc- 

 tion will be available on practically all dairy cows, we must in 

 selection rely to a great extent on our judgment of what a cow 

 is capable of producing as indicated by her conformation. An 

 additional reason for knowing how to select a dairy cow even 

 when production records are available is that an animal with a 

 type pleasing to the eye as well as one that is a good producer 

 may be selected. 



I desire to call your attention to an experience of the owner 

 of a herd of grade cows who, desiring to improve his herd, 

 decided to purchase a purebred bull. He was advised that, so 

 far as pedigree was concerned, either of two bulls were equally 

 good, and the price was the same in each case. The man was 

 left to make his own selection, and cliose the one which was much 

 the inferior individually. The bull had extremely heavy shoul- 

 ders and a sway back, and transmitted these characteristics to^ 

 his offspring. Had the buyer selected the better typed of the 

 two equally well bred bulls the results at no additional money 

 expense would have undoubtedly been more satisfactory. 



