VoL LX. 
No. 2688 
NEW YORK, AUGUST 3, 1901. 
*i PER YEAR. 
SELECTING A DAIRY COW. 
What to Look For! Where? 
Part II. 
While it does not always indicate a fine dairy cow, 
still a mellow, thin skin, elastic and unctuous to the 
touch, and covered with fine hair, is usually an indi¬ 
cation of quality. The best dairy cows must possess 
quality, and the skin and fine bone show these fea¬ 
tures in a fairly accurate manner. Long, coarse hair, 
and thick, stiff hide are most undesirable. 
One should be able to grasp the skin in 
the hand along the front of the body near 
the shoulders, and pull it easily from the 
body, and almost wrap the hand in it, if 
of the mellow sort desired. If it hangs 
tight to the body, it may show lack of 
condition, or will indicate poor quality. 
This applies to the skin over the udder 
as well as to the rest of the body. Peo¬ 
ple sometimes ask for indications as to 
quality of milk. Most dairy students de¬ 
sire a yellow pigment to the skin, which 
is most readily seen by examining the in¬ 
terior of the ears, or is perhaps seen in 
the lower part of the horns. This is not 
always a correct indication, for I have 
seen a Holstein with good color produc¬ 
ing a very low grade of milk. 
As one stands bebind a well developed 
dairy cow, the hind legs should come to 
the ground in good position, with consid¬ 
erable space between the hocks. A cow 
of say 1,000 pounds weight would do well 
to carry her hocks six inches apart at the 
least. The purpose of this is to allow am¬ 
ple room for the suspension of the udder 
between the legs. If the animal is what 
is called “cow-hocked,” then the hocks 
come together and the toes turn out, and 
a cramped, ungainly rear part results. 
The thighs of this dairy cow should also 
be thin and not fleshy, thereby permit¬ 
ting a width of the udder in its uppei 
part that is highly desired. Legginess is 
also undesirable in the cow. The appear¬ 
ance which we admire in her should al¬ 
ways be indicative of her fitness for the 
work we expect on her part. 
There are other features in the dairy 
cow that might be touched upon, but al¬ 
ready the writer has covered these in 
other articles. There is always the de¬ 
sirability of the broad, level back and 
splendid spring and depth of rib, with 
large oody capable of great feeding ca¬ 
pacity. The dairy cow is somewhat 
longer bodied than the beef type, and has 
more space between the ribs, and greater 
space from hip to rib than the beef cow. 
She also has a longer, thinner neck and 
leaner head. She, however, does not ma¬ 
terially differ from her sister in the need 
for broad, full forehead, bright, placid 
eye, broad, strong muzzle and full cheek. 
Of recent years considerable emphasis 
has been placed on the “nervous tem¬ 
perament” of the dairy cow. All animals of a lean 
character are naturally more nervous than those of 
a fleshy type. The Leghorn hen is more nervous than 
the Brahma, the Merino sheep than the Shropshire, 
the Yorkshire pig than the Poland China, or the Jer¬ 
sey cow than the Short-horn. But nervous type need 
not mean uncontrollable or excitable. If intelligently 
handled, a dairy cow will be placid and quiet, al¬ 
though it does require nervous force to produce such 
immense quantities of milk as a good animal may. 
And so a strong, prominent spinal column or back¬ 
bone, indicating great nervous force, should not be 
looked on with disfavor. In any event it will usually 
be found with the high-class dairy cow. 
How much ought a good dairy cow to produce? I 
should qualify that by age and breed. Animals of the 
smaller class, such as Jei'sey, should yield after the 
first calf at least 4,000 pounds of milk of five-per-cent 
quality, and after that at least 5,000 pounds. This 
within 12 months’ time. Cows of the Holsteln-Fries- 
ian type should make at least 6,000 pounds of 3% per 
cent milk, vith 8,000 pounds in mature form. Ordi¬ 
narily, the more milk a cow gives the poorer it is in 
fat-producing quality, to a certain extent. 
In connection with this article I submit two pic¬ 
tures of cows that I have had the pleasure of hand¬ 
ling, that represent very striking specimens of dairy 
animals. Fig. 228 is of the Jersey cow Silver Sheen 
26210, who in the hands of Col. A. T. Dempsey, of 
Columbus, Ohio, became well known as a very beau¬ 
tiful show cow. She had great quality, her form was 
of a ra-Tp while she carried an udder of the kind 
that at once caught the eye for its superior form. 
The front of this might have been improved by being 
carried forward somewhat, but it is none the less a 
good one. The picture shows the prominent veins on 
the udder and abdomen. Last year, when visiting M. 
Victor Gilbert at Wideville, France, I came on a Nor¬ 
mandy cow in his stable, among numerous others, 
that to me was a remarkable specimen. She is shown 
in Fig. 229. This cow represents an animal with a 
wonderful body capacity. The picture does not bring 
out her great back and spring of rib and 
body as I wish it did. She had a large 
udder, that I judge was of much capacity, 
with very prominent milk veins. I think 
I have never seen quite so striking a dairy 
cow in America in the large proportion of 
body and udder, to the small proportion 
of legs and neck. Victor Gilbert is per¬ 
haps as great a breeder of Rambouilleb 
Merino sheep as France affords, but he 
certainly knows a good dairy cow. Per¬ 
haps these suggestions may be of service 
to some of the uninitiated, who desire 
more information concerning dairy cattle. 
I at least trust so. c. s. rnuMn. 
"GUARANTEED EGGS.” 
The Monmouth Guaranteed Egg Com¬ 
pany, a New Jersey enterprise for the 
production of fancy eggs of guaranteed 
freshness, is building an elaborate plant 
for its operations near Manasquan, Mon¬ 
mouth County. A prospectus issued early 
in the year stated that $50,000 would be 
expended in equipment, and when in fu'l 
operation 2,000 eggs a day would be de¬ 
livered in New York, guaranteed to be 
not over eight hours old. A representa¬ 
tive of The R. N.-Y. visited the plant re¬ 
cently, and found a fertile and well-tilled 
87-acre farm lying a mile west of the 
pleasant old village of Manasquan, and 
within 15 minutes drive of the surf of the 
Atlantic Ocean. It is a prosperous lo¬ 
cality, with an excellent train service to 
New York and Philadelphia, the former 
being reached in less than two houra by 
several express trains every day. The 
greater part of the farm is now in grass 
and pasture. A brooder house 24x150 feet 
with incubator room 22x30 feet, has just 
been,completed, and is evidently well de¬ 
signed and thoroughly constructed. By 
using a special legless pattern it is 
thought 50 incubators may be operated at 
once by placing them in several tiers 
about the room. Long ranges of laying 
sheds are staked out through the fields. 
A considerable number are finished, and 
the framework of many more is under 
way. An old apple orchard on the place 
will furnish shade for the chicks, and a 
young plum orchard is to be planted for 
an increased run. An elaborate system of 
yards isolates the laying houses, which 
are built for the accommodation of 25 
hens each. Water will be supplied by windmills, and 
later steam pump. Intensive feeding for egg pro¬ 
duction only is the central idea, as only the cockerels 
and old hens will be sold from the place. One of the 
chief promoters of the enterprise is an architect as 
well as a successful chicken fancier, and it is plain 
the constructive work has been intelligently planned. 
No fowls are yet on the place, though purchases are 
now being made of j'oung stock. Only Brown Leg¬ 
horns and Black Minorcas will be kept, the plan be¬ 
ing to cixjss these breeds for the production of uni- 
JERSEY COW SILVER SHEEN 26210. Pig. 228. 
A NORMANDY COW. Photographed in France. Fig. 229. 
