FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION 171 



fulfillment of an additional requirement the ultimate purpose 

 for which most dairy cows are kept could not be met. This 

 additional requirement, the production of large amounts of milk 

 and butterfat, cannot be accomplished without mammary devel- 

 opment. The udder, teats, milk veins and milk wells are the 

 visible portions of the mammary system. 



There is an important relationship between the physical 

 conformation of the udder and production. Udder capacity is 

 gained by size and quality. The udder should extend well for- 

 ward and well up in the rear. Deficiency in the fore quarters 

 is common. A long udder, well supported, is preferred to one 

 of the pendant type, as the latter has more of a tendency to 

 break down with age. Quality of udder is best determined after 

 the milk has been removed. It should present to the touch 

 mellowness, and there should be a lack of excess flesh. Such 

 an udder will milk down, and reduce in size as a result of the 

 milking process. 



The teats are the appendages through which the milk is 

 drawn off. They should be of convenient size and shape and be 

 placed far enough apart so that the hands of the milker do not 

 interfere with each other during the milking process. 



Although there is some question as to the necessity of large 

 milk vein development, it remains a fact that cows which are 

 producers of large quantities of milk have well-developed milk 

 veins. The milk veins carry the surplus blood from the udder, 

 and if they are large, branching and tortuous, it indicates that 

 there is a large flow of blood through the udder. The mi'k 

 veins extend forward along the under side of the belly of the 

 cow and pass up into her body at some distance back of the 

 front legs. The openings through which the veins pass up into 

 the body are known as the milk wells. It is desirable that the 

 wells be of good size in order not to check the flow of blood in 

 the veins. 



It is very desirable, in selecting a dairy cow% to take into 

 account not only her physical conformation, but also her ability 

 to breed regularly and to produce large amounts of milk and 

 butterfat as indicated by approved records. Although such a 

 system of judging is not as yet in general use, it is worthy of 

 serious consideration." 



