Vol. LVII. No. 2522 
NEW YORK, MAY 28, 1898. 
SUPER YEAR. 
CHARACTERISTIC FORM OF THE DAIRY COW 
H o w p b'e served by breeding. 
It Shows In All Breeds. 
If there is one thing 1 above another that has influ¬ 
enced the upbuilding of some of the best herds of 
cattle of this country, it is the proper mating 
for intelligent breeding of the cattle of the 
several breeds. There has been a lamentable 
hue and cry from irresponsible sources against 
the continued practice of in-and-inbrceding ; 
but those who have had the daring and fore¬ 
sight to persevere in coupling the right kind 
of animals, have beheld a grand improvement 
in the dairy breeds, not only in America, but 
all over the world. We have found it im¬ 
possible to keep apace with any move of 
progress without daily study and habitual 
observation along the lines of any particular 
industry. 
The great trouble with dairymen has been 
the belief that a cow is a cow, and that num¬ 
bers count up to make a dairy. Facts bear 
out the assertion when statistics tell us that 
the average cow makes less than 150 pounds 
of hutter per annum ; such cows do not pay 
for the feed and care given them, and should 
be fattened and slaughtered. Then a new 
regime should be ordered on in the way of 
producing a line of cows that will make at 
least 350 pounds of butter per year, or as near 
as practical, so that blood and feed com¬ 
bined will make the dairy a paying industry. 
In our dairy, we are attempting to establish a herd of 
cows from a dam that is from butter-producing cows, 
and feel quite well repaid thus far in three genera¬ 
tions. At every opportunity, we make a careful study 
of good producing animals at fairs, sales and else¬ 
where. Frequently we take a snapshot of them if 
they rate high in the near perfection of dairy type 
and form. 
At Figs. 165 and 166 are shown two cows that rep¬ 
resent two of the greatest dairy breeds of the globe, 
one the butter breed, the other for milk, 
both, though, of the double-wedge form 
and shape, which we find always con¬ 
tributes to the fullest measure in dairy 
perfection. While these two cows are of 
two distinct breeds, and noted distinctly 
for two purposes, they greatly resemble 
each other in dairy form. The Jersey 
shows up with her rival the Holstein in 
depth of Hank and length of measure 
from hip to rump. The Jersey has a 
high pelvic arch, a fine tapering neck, 
shapely head, and an eye that betokens 
great nervous energy. The umbilical 
development in the Holstein is of a high 
order, and while her rival has a good 
barrel, well hooped, the Holstein shows 
good depth, but lacks the length of the 
Jersey. 
These cows are typical animals of their 
breeds, but what of their performance at 
the pail and the churn ? The Jersey was 
a winner at the West Virginia State Fair 
last year for the butter prize against the 
Holstein and Ayrshire breeds, making 
the largest quantity of butter in 34 hours. 
This Jersey is an inbred St. Lambert, 
likely the most intensely inbred class of cattle in 
America, and will make her two pounds of but¬ 
ter per day in full flow of milk. She is the pro¬ 
duct of the mating of sires and dams that have 
proved ability to transmit their butter qualities to 
their posterity. 
The Holstein was just fresh when her photo was 
A STANDARD OF QUALITY IN HERD MILK. 
GUARANTEEING FOUR-PER CENT BUTTER'FAT 
From a Herd of Mixed Cows. 
The method of selling milk in many of our cities and 
towns has not kept pace with improvements in other 
branches of the dairy business. The present 
system is haphazard and unsatisfactory, in 
fact a game of chance on the part of the con¬ 
sumer. Scarcely an article of food in general 
use varies so widely in quality, yet sells for 
so uniform a price as milk. While the aver¬ 
age quality of the milk supplied is good, the 
extremes are too great. It is not uncommon 
to find a difference of two, and frequently 
three per cent, in the fat of milk delivered 
for the same price per quart. The variation 
in the percentage of solids is still greater. 
This method is unfair to the producer, be¬ 
cause the better quality of milk costs him 
more, hence should command a higher price. 
It is, also, unfair to the consumer, from the 
fact that the nutritive value of one quart of 
milk may be nearly twice that of another 
quart. If the producer maintain a definite 
standard of quality, he can guarantee his 
product; on the other band, if the milk were 
guaranteed, the consumer would know the 
quality of the milk that he is buying, and be 
assured that he receives what he pays for. 
The purpose of this discussion is to show 
how it is possible for a dairyman to manage 
his herd so that he can guarantee a definite 
standard of quality in the milk produced throughout 
the entire year. It will be necessary for the dairy¬ 
man, first, to give careful attention to the influences 
which affect the quality of milk. Having determined 
what standard of quality he wishes to maintain, he is 
ready to purchase his cows. 
Selecting the Herd. —If he chooses, say four per 
cent for his standard, he should select cows that will 
produce milk of this standard at the outset. Cows of 
the same breed, as well as those of different breeds, 
vary greatly in the quality of their milk. 
To illustrate the individuality of cows, a 
grade Holstein in the New Jersey Sta¬ 
tion herd, averaged 3.8 per cent of fat for 
a year, while a grade Jersey averaged 
6.4 per cent. These are extreme cases, 
yet such variations are frequently met. 
We may expect from average Holsteins, 
Ayrshires and Short-horns from 3.50 to 
3.75 per cent of fat, and from the Jerseys 
and Guernseys, 4.50 to 5 per cent. It will 
be very easy for the dairyman to select 
a herd from these breeds that will give 
him the desired quality. W’hile the 
breed may be some help in selecting a 
herd, the Babcock milk test is the best 
guide of all. This test will show accu¬ 
rately what each cow is capable of doing. 
In selecting a herd of common stock, the 
Babcock test will be even more necessary 
than in the selection of pure breeds, 
from the fact that the composition of 
the milk from common stock varies more 
widely. 
Influence of Food. —Having obtained 
a herd that produces the desired quality 
of milk, the dairyman now has to meet 
the problem of maintaining that quality throughout 
the year. While the kind and quantity of fo$d may 
not greatly affect the quality of the milk produced, 
yet it is necessary to feed properly to obtain the best 
results, either in quantity or quality. A cow should 
be fed a liberal balanced ration during the period that 
she is giving a profitable flow of milk. A ration having 
taken, and had given 68 pounds of milk the 34 hours 
before. To the Holstein admirer she is a model cow 
in outline and form, and for the milk dairy, would 
make a splendid performer. Such object lessons as 
these are of great value to amateur breeders, and well 
worth study. They tend to break down some wild 
TRUE DAIRY SHAPE IN A JERSEY. Fig. 165. 
prejudices that are frequently the product of one’s 
imagination. GEO. E. SCOTT. 
Ohio. 
R. N.-Y.—No matter what the breed, it is an estab¬ 
lished fact that there is a distinct dairy type in all 
breeds. Not all the progeny, even of noted dairy ani¬ 
mals, will show the characteristic dairy shape equally ; 
but continued improvement in the desired direction 
must be maintained by careful selection and intelligent 
breeding. A careless breeder could soon undo the re- 
A HOLSTEIN TRUE TO TYPE. Fig. 166. 
suits of years of painstaking work. On the contrary, 
it is unquestioned that by selection from animals of 
the best dairy strains, of the young showing more of 
the beef characteristics, a beef breed could, in time, 
be produced. Successful breeding for the attainment 
of a specific object is an exact science, and the success¬ 
ful breeder must be a skilled scientist. 
