San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-09-21

and hips wide ana hfgh, rumps up ever
: with the hips, though Ihave seen YER.
good COWS with low rumps, but they
5 have in every case been otherwise un
5 commonly well marked. Pelvis shouit
, be wide, giving plenty of room tor tn
tail; twist wide, but well cut up, which
, in all good cows must be the case tt
give plenty room for tile udder. Thigh
thin; the hind legs should be little
crooked, fine below the hook, with q
good sized long foot, DR.. Loring, Of
Massachusetts, says, "No COW can dc
the work of dairy that has n small,
short foot" The tail should be long
and tapering, but can not find any re.
quired length necessary. The udder
should be long and broad, we'll set up
between the thighs, with good.sized
teats set well apart. The belly should
sag little in front of the udder and rise
as it approaches the brisket, and should
be large as compared with the size OF
the COW.
Now, after this general description of
the handsome COW, we will 60 to the
points which am called upon to detail
to you, and without which there can be
little or no milk-for all good mixers
have them. The hair must be soft, in.
dicating a soft, elastic skin, which you
will find to be the case by taking the
skin in your hand, and if it be soft and
pliable like kid glove, you are safe for
either milk or beef. If, on the con-
trary, the skin feels harsh and hard,
with cracking sensation as it passes
out of your hand, let her or him alone;
you can have neither a good COW nor an
animal that can be fed for beef. You
never saw soft hair grow upon such
skin. This is the first test.
Next pass your hand under the belly
of the COW, and you will find the social
ed "milk-veins. They are an infallible
indication of the good qualities of COW;
the larger the veins the better are the
indications. In very good COW you
will sometimes find the veins branching
off and making four instead of two, but
they always join again before reaching
the udder. The larger the veins, and
the more irregular or angular they are
the more sure you are that the COW is
one of the first-class mixers. You will
find two oriices in the belly of the COW
where these veins enter, and they will
be in size according to the size of the
veins; they should be of the same size
or she is blemished COW.
We will now 60 back to the udder,
which should be covered with a soft,
downy coat of hair, and in front of it
the hair begins to turn its course back
between the teats. Its width is to be
examined, for the wider the belt the
better and surer are the indications.
This belt, or mirror, runs up to the pei
Wis, and must be examined, as the width
without break is the point in which
Guenon forms his opinions as to his best
COWS, to which he gives the name of
" The Flanders Cow" That, with the
width on the thigh, is sure indication
of the best COWS. 1 never saw it fail;
the only trouble is, there are but few
COWS that have it in o perfect form
There are exceptions, such as Guenon
calls The Bastard" and "The Bogus
Cow" whose marks I will here explain.
The marks on "bogus cow are
just the same as they are upon any of
the classes, to all appearance, both in
ascutcheon and in their milking quail
ties. They are fine mixers, as far as
quantity is concerned, for the first two
Dr. three months, or until they are again
in calf. Within two or three weeks
they begin to lessen in quantity and
quality, and in couple of months
hey are worthless for the dairy. This
know not only from inquiry, but also
~ ocular demonstration, for 1 have
such COW in my own dairy and have
Kept her for three years, experimenting
Upon her. As long as she is kept from
she is as good COW as l have
or quantity of milk, and of fair quality
Until after she gets with calf. This COW,
Is | said before, has all the marks of
Flanders cow--large, knotty milk veins,
arge, wide escutcheon, running wide
Ind full up to the pelvis; two mirrors,
arge and well formed, but upon exam
ming the escutcheon closely found the
lair through the center of the es-
'utcheon a0d up the pelvis long, coarse
md bristly, different from any other
ow have in the dairy. The skin has
. lightish red appearance. What little
landruff there is is dry and hard, very
much of the road dust appearance.
| have found but few tirst-claSs cows
f the bogus kind, where they were
orn so, but have found several that
we're made bogus by bad training and
areless milking.-Capt. John C. Nor
IS, Of SusqaehannG County, Pa.