Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-09-27
SIZE Of THE COW.
q Question That Has Been Discussed for
Many Weary Year,

SsA6 VI J6e COM
Question That Has Bee. n,..,,...., e.-
Many Weary Years
There Is one point ON which il is
doubtful If dairymen ever will,be able
to agree and that is the most economic
cal size to which the mich COW should
Do bred. There is nothing the breeder
can so readily accomplish as to regu-
late the size of the cow. Each breed
Is almost absolute in point of size.
The Jersey is the smallest, then the
Ayrshire. Guernsey and Holstein. It
does seem strange that men can not
agree upon which size is best adapted
to dairy purposes, especially as it
would be so easy to change any of the
breeds to the approved size.
As mere question of mathematics it
is recognized principle that one large
machine can be worked much more
economically than two machines that
would turn out the same amount of
work. To put the same proportion
with cows If three large cows will
do the same work as five small ones,
then they should do it more economic
ally. The three should take less stable
room. fewer hands to look after them
and should eat less in the aggregate.
This is the way it looks from a me-
chanical point of view; now let us see
how it looks in fact. It is hardly the
correct thing to speak Of the cow as q
machine. On the contrary she is de-
cidedly a sentient thing. She is full of
notions, sentiments and, like her lady
friend. she is very hard to please. She
has SO many queer characteristics that
when you come to sum them up. the
mere matter of size is quite lost sight
Of One man may find that in his herd
all the small COWS are tremendous eat
ers and the large ones small eaters,
while in another herd this condition
of things is exactly reversed. So it
may be in the yield of milk. richness
of milk and holding out quality.
1t is useless to talk about carrying
large cows. with a view to making
beef of them, when no longer useful in
the dairy. This is sheer nonsense,
though every other dairyman has a
sneaking faith in the idea No man
should be so foolish as to carry several
hundred pounds of blood and bone
eight or ten years to make second
hand beef of it in the end. No. no, we
have no patience with that notion, and,
while there can be no absolute rule or
line of reasoning on the point of size
that should induce the dairyman to
part with good animal on account of
its size. be it large or small, at the
same time there certainly is a size that
is best adapted to the dairy.
The COW that weighs from 1000 to
1900 pounds is better adapted to the
work than a larger or smaller one.
She does not require too much room
in the stable. She is easily MIXED.
and, in our experience, is more robust
in constitution. We believe small cows
and very large cows are more liable to
attacks of such diseases as milk fever
and garget than those of medium size.
At least such has been our experience
and observation. We are speaking of
the cows in a single herd of mixed
breeding, and do not mean that the
larger or smaller breeds are more SUBJ
ject to these complaints than those Of
the medium-sized breeds.
Ultimately, men may be able to
agree upon given size as the correct
thing in dairy cattle, but there are so
many more important points to settle
first that we fear it will be a long time
before common consent will be given
to the mere matter of size.-AD,eficdn
Doiryman.