The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-12-30
Selecting Dairy Cows.

A good constitution is important.
This may DO judged of by the lustre Of
the hair and the brilliancy of the eyes
and horns. Constitution depends
mostly upon the heart and lungs, the
size of which may be determined 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 ex.
traordinary energy they create. they in
duce unusual exercise and motion,
which make rapid waste Of tissue and
rapid assimilation to repair 1t, and
thus divert nutrlment from producing
milk. II too small. the animal may
be an excellent mixer while she lives,
but will be feeble and short.lived,
The capacity of the lungs corres-
ponds with the size of the aperatures
through which they are filled. Large,
open nostrlls indicate large lungs, and
vice versa. In the same way the indi-
cations of the mouth correspond with
the size of the stomach.
| The chine is regarded rs an index to
milking capacity. When 1t is double.
1t denotes breadth of vertebre, which
corresponds to the broad, open struc.
ture, which is favorable 10 large flow.
1t is an accompaniment of broad hips,
and these in turn denote alarge cavity,
which is essential to good mixers,
The milk mirror, or escutcheon of
Guenon, Is one of the leading indlca-
lions of milking cal aclty. 1t consists
ofthe peculiar appearance of the hair
on the udder. Looking at the hind
part OF the cow, more or less of the hair
which covers the udder and adjacent
parts, will be seen to turn upward and
outward. This reversed hair forms
the so-called escutcheon. If the space
occupied by the upturned hair, espe-
cially the lower part OF 1t, Is very large
and broad, 80 that 1t extends far out
ward on to the thighs, 1t is regarded as
indicating large flow of milk. If the
upper part Of it Is broad and smooth, 1t
Is regarded as favorable to prolonged
flow. II the reversed part of 1t is mar
row and irregular in Its upper part. 1t
IL unfavorable to prolonged flow. The
manner In which the Inverted hair
connects with the hair adjacent is sup
posed to have significance. A gradual
blending, rather than abrupt connoc-
| ton, Is preferred.
The connection of the escutcheon
with the flow of milk Is accounted for
by Magne,wb says that the hair turns
in the direction in which the arteries
ramify, and that the reversed hair ON
the udder and adjacent parts indicates
the termination of the arteries which
supply the udder with blood. When
these arteries are large, they are not
confined to the udder, but extend down
through it, and upward and outward,
ramifying on the skin beyond the I'D
der, giving the hair the peculiar ap-
pearancc which distinguishes it from
the rest of the surface. Ifthe arteries
supplying the udder with blood be very
small, they are not likely to extend
much beyond the udder, and hence
form small escutcheon. Hence q
small escutcheon indicates q feeble sup
ply Of blood to the udder, and conse-
quently but little material to make
milk of, and hence small flow of
milk.-[L. Il. Arnold's American
Dairying.