Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-10-13
COWS FOR THE DAIRY.
From American Dairyman.

characteristic peculiar to the SEX
First of all, see that the animal has
a feminine appearance cowy look.
The next thing to be looked after, is
the digestive apparatus, particularly
the stomach and bowels. A large
and strong boiler is not more essen
tial to the power of an engine, than
: o large and vigorous stomach is to
the production of milk. A COW can
not make milk out of nothing. If
she gives large flow, she must eat
and digest large amount of food to
make it form, and she must have a
stomach to the task; one that has
capacity to hold and power to digest
enough to manufacture the milk out
of.
When the digestive organs are
relatively larger than the other WIS.,
cera, they give depth and breadth to
the abdomen, and asomewhat wedge
shaped form-the body tapering for
ward.
The large stomach and bowels
mark a diathesis in which the fluids
abound-a condition, as will readily
be understood, very essential to a
large flow of milk; and the broad
hips, and the depth and breadth Of
the lumbar reagon, indicate a large
development and flow Of blood, and
vital influence to all the parts
surrounding and connected with the
milk producing vessels. Gaunt COWS
are small mixers.
A good constitution is important.
This may be judged Of by the luster
of the hair and the brilliancy of the
eyes and horns. Constitution de-
ponds mostly upon the heart and
lungs, the size of which may be de-
termined by the depth and breadth
of the thorax. They should have
good development, enough to secure
health and vigor, but the lungs, in
particular, should not be excessively
large. When very large, they burn
up, by increased respiration, the fat
forming material. BY the extraordi-
nary energy that create, they induce
unusual exercise and motion, which
make a rapid waste of tissue and a
rapid assimilation to repair it, and
thus divert nutriment from produc-
ing milk. If to small, the animal
may be an excellent mixer while she
lives, but will be feeble and short
lived.
The capacity of the lungs CORE
spends with the size of the apertures
through which they are filed
Large open nostrils indicate large
lungs, and vice oerso. In the same
way, the indications of the mouth
correspond with the size of the
stomach.
The chine is regarded as an index
to milking capacity. When it is
double, it denotes breadth Of vertebra
which corresponds to the broad open
structure which is favorable to a
large flow.
1t is an accompaniment of broad
hips, and these in turn denote
large cavity which is essential to
good mixers.
The milk mirror, OF escutcheon, Of
Guenon, Is one Of the leading indica-
tons of milking capacity. 1t con-
sists of the peculiar appearance. of the
hair on the udder
The size of the escutcheon is re-
garded as the measure of the quanti-
ty of blood supplied to the miIk-pro-
ducing vessels, and is evidence of
their eapability of celebrating milk.
In the same way, the veins take up
the blood and carry it back III the
milk veins, which pass through the
bag and along the belly, and enter
the body through one or more hols
on their way to the heart. The size
of these milk veins and the holes
where they enter the body vary with
the escutcheon, and like it give evil
dence of the quantity of venous blood |
passing away from and through the
udder, and they have the same sig
nificance with reference to quantity,
as the supply of arterial blood and
the size of the escutcheon.
But none of these indications,
taken singly, is aninfallible evidence
of large yield. They must be con-
sidcred together. A large escutch-
con, and milk veins, coupled with a
small stomach, would be marked
down at least one-half of what they
might otherwise signify; and large
digestive apparatus, coupled with
small milk veins and escutcheon,
should be marked down in the same
way. Keeping the leading indica-
tons in view, observation will soon
enable one to make close estimates.
Soft, fine hair, Is by many regard
as an evidence Of richness, and oftner
than otherwise it proves true; but
some COWS that give the very richest
milk have hair that is not so very
fine and soft. The appearance Of the
skin is another guide. A clear white
or pale skin, is an evidence, either
that yellow fat is not formed, or if
formed, the pecullarities of the ami.
NAL are such that it is used up in
supporting respiration. When it is
so abundant as to lodge in the pores
of the skin and give itayellow color,
it may be expected to appear also in
the milk and give it the same color.
High color and richness seldom fail
TO go together, hence a yellow skin
becomes an evidence Of rich milk;
but it sometimes happens that the
skin is of such hue that the yellow
fat does not effect its color-in such
a case, appearance of the skin has no
significance. One of the best indi-
cations to the richness of milk is the
of the inside Of the ear.
If that is yellow and sheds a yellow
dandruff, rich yellow milk is very
sure to accompany. The same is
true in regard to the twist.
The fat of animals is stored in
net work Of cells, called cellular
tissue, and an abundance of these
cells is coupled with a tendency to
form fat wherewith to fill them.-
When COW is in milk, the fat form
ed is carried away in the milk, max
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