Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-04-10
A GOOD MILK COW.

Were herd Of milking cows carefully ex-
amined and divided into two lots, the one
containing the better and the other the poor
er mixers, striking difference would be OBJ
served between the typical COW of each Sec
ton. Ii would be seen that the majority of
the good cattle had certain shapes in COM
mon, which were not possessed in such per-
fection OF in the same combination by the
inferior animals. The study of the relations
between these forms and the physiological
functions constitutes not only the philosophy,
but the practical methods by which cattle
can be improved by the breeder.
The most essential and noteworthy point
of the dairy COW is the large udder and
belly, which indicate capacity for digestion
and storage. These two features are usually
combined, for in my own observation can
not remember to have seen a first class I'D
der on a poor belly. Let US describe an ud-
der then such as we would have-as is
found in the best cows. 1t must be
large and exceedingly capaciOus, but its size
must be gained rather from the length aud
breadth OF its attachment, than from its de-
tendency. 1t must extend well behind and
well forward. When viewed behind, broad
and square, extending we'll up towards the
vuva when viewed from the side, broad
aud fat on the sole aud extending forward,
so merging with the belly that line drawn
from the hnderpart Of the udder to the
brisket will touch the skin in nearly its whole
length. The lobes must be even. sized, aud
teats evenly distributed. The whole udder
firmly attached and covered with soft aud
elastic skin.
Such covering allows for an extension,
when the animal is in milk and holds the
glands in proximity to the blood vessels
which supply them. The necessities of the
lacteal glands are full supply of blood,
from which milk can be elaborated and this
hormonizes with the use Of the udder as
storehouse.
Broad attachment, means breadth Of
belly or abundance of space for the diges-
tive organs, within which all nutrIment must
originate. The blood is furnished to the I'D
der by large and numerous arteries, which,
coming from different arterial trunks, freely
anastomose with each other Although
these arteries are internal, their amount Of
supply is fortunately indicated to some ex-
tent by the veins which carry the blood from
the udder. or these, some pass along the
surface, forward IN torturous course until
they disappear in the ori6ce so we'll known
to exist in the belly, while others pass back
ward, and extending along the perineum, are
finally lost. The former are we'll known as
milk veins, and these should be large, swoll-
en-, and crooked, and pass into the belly by a
large orfce. The veins IN the perineum al
so, although seldom seen in COW that is
dry, yet shortly after calving may be large
and tortuous.
Such an udder requires several correla.
tions of form, which will merely Indicate.
The broad attachments are accompanied by
breadth Of hip the length of udder, by
length Of quarter. The weight which such
an udder is required to store necessitates
strength Of back, The width of vessel re-
quires for its accommodation that the thighs
below the quarters should have a degree of
ilatness, in order to afford space. The ribs
should spring Gut round and full for the same
reason, and also to afford room for the
paunch and digestive organs, for the capa-
cious udder requires for its filling a great
aud continuous supply Of blood, aud this is
dependent on the food supply, and the fa-
cilties for digestion. To gain the most Of
our blood after it has absorbed the ohyle
! from the digestive organs, reason shows that