The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-06-05
SELECTING HEIFERS,
The Five Cardinal Features of n Good
and Profitable Mile n Cow.

and Profitable Mile Cow.
When the burning passion to become
a famous and money-making dairyman
Grst takes possession of man, he puts
the whole strength of his mind to the task
Of overcoming the hard places that a
little contemplation teaches him are to
be found in each department of the oc-
cupation.
II will not take him long to learn
that the first requisite of a profitable
dairy is good herd of cows. He will
not read far either in books on dairying
or in the current papers of the agricul.
tural press before he comes across this
statement that not more than half the
cows in the dairy herds of the country
pay for their keep, and that the good
COWS carry the poor ones, to the great
loss of their owners. He rapidly solves
this problem in his own mind by deter
mining not to have any but good cows
in his herd. Now his trouble begins.
How is he to get up herd of tirst-class,
good, profitable cows. If he happens to
have plenty of money he is almost GER
tain to fall into the very common error
of thinking he can buy them. Certainly
this can be done, but it would be long
list that contained the names of all the
men who have sunk fortunes in carrying
out this plain proposition. The trouble
is that COWS possess such infinite varie-
ties of form and character. Some are
neither physically or .Aentally adapted
to the dairy, while others possess char
acteristics that are absolutely startling
in their capacity for dairy work, while
the intermediate. space is filled with
every variety of COW, having good and
bad qualities inextricably mixed.
In view of these difficulties, the best
we can do is to set before the mind the
ideal animal and then educate ourselves
to the work of securing what we consid.
er the best. To do this there should be
no cast-iron rules, but breed and buy a,
opportunity presents itself. To become
educated in selecting the best dairy
cows, we naturally look to the books or
dairying and the agricultural papers
With single pen they describe the idea
COW beautifully balanced, beginning
with fine bony head, incurRng horns,
slender neck, thin withers, and,
spreading as you proceed, she has {
capacious barrel, high, broad hips; {
long, thin tail, square udder and {
Flanderine escutcheon. Now 90 into
the hard-working herd of some success
full dairyman and ask him to point yor
out his best paying animals, and thu
chances are that he will not exhibit
single ideal COW, simply because the ac
OF milk-giving is not, so far as we know
directly connected with or in any grea
degree dependent upon any externa
feature of the COW, if we except the siz,
and shape of the udder. Like the trot
tiers, they go in all forms, while tn,
fashionable ideal may fail to raise he
own calf.
For many years the writer made {;
close study of the outward form and thu
| mental characteristics of the best COWS
paying every regard to popular notions
with a view to duplicating the best ami
mails by selecting the most promising
heifers to be found. Our success wa
quite equal to that of the average dairy
man, but faith in the ideal forms an,
outward signs of inward excellence wa
badly shaken. In order to supplement
experience with that of the best Judges
we attended many of the sales of blood
ed dairy cattle of late years, and con
suited the herdsmen who have brough
herds up to national regulations for ex
cellence of product, and find the follow
ing points make up the sum of a goo
heifer: Q) Large teats. (2) Teat
set wide apart. (3) Open twist wit
documentary udder showing well fror
the rear. (D Deep in the flank. @
Slender neck. These are the cardina
features that have been founo by praC
tical men to lead most directly to a col
rect judgment in selecting youn
heifers.
The slim neck is generally indicativ
of non-fattening tendency. With thes
characteristics a heifer is not certain t
turn out a good one, but you have TIL
assurance, that she has every requisit
of a good cow, and if she fails it is n
fault of yours, while many heifers prov
absolutely that they possessed the C;
pacity for making the milk, bat thf
misfortune of small teats, narrow qua
tiers, or delicate constitution, forbiC
their ever becoming profitable, cow
Nothing has been said about pedigree
choosing young heifers, but we merel
call attention to those outward sigI
that apply to all breeds, whether of BIZ
blood or the daughters of nobody
particular. American DGirymGn.