Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-09-14
Live Stock->ize and Quality-
prai-ia Farmer

Hss the size of the animsi anything to
do with the qushey of the beef, beyond
the fact tast one in good condition makes
better eouolt'oa mskes better beef thsn
one IN poor! Does the size of 4 COW
have anything to do with the quality OF
her G1lks Does the size of the msss
necessarily hsvs anything to do with its
quality Does the COW that gives the
smallest mess slways produce the richest
milks Do the smallest Jerseys give the
richest milk Does the jersey that gives
the smallest mess give the richest milk :
II these questions csn be answered III
the affirmative, then thsre is g screw
toose 5 nswhere in the reasoning of men,
~ho assume that large mess OF milk is
rule. Interi,I N q shty, her by im-
plslnS mat the smai MESS must tee rioh.
The fart is that siZs has nothing TO do
With the matter, but selection and breed
!ns hes. The small size of The srsey Is
an accident, 60 very greas exrsn1,
while the rich quality OF her milk hR-
been secared by selection and line breed
ing, if not iabroedins for many genera
tions.
The Ffesisu COW i, large, and she gives
c large mess OF miIk, because she has
been bred from time inme II !, al With sse
so much larger than the jersey, when We
consider her size, and there does not ap-
pear to be any reason in nature, shy her
mess OF mdk, by careful selection snd
breeding, may not be raised 80 the quslity
of the J,rssy. If the latter SIves 81
pounds of milk day, from which
pounds OF butter Is made, why may not s
cow twice her sizs give 60 pounds of milk
q day from which 6 pounds of butter can
be made, without any more tax on the
system IN the Que csse than in the
other?
Fat is an element in nature that is
easily obtained, and the appropriation OF
1t DIES lot materially exhaust the soil.
Butter production does hot "a rapidly
inpoverish the soil as cheese or BEST pro
due ion does. But TO secure the carbon
Gceous element in the form of butter fat,
We must induce a peculiar ply stole gicsl
condition of tina COW. Just what thai
condition is, ard Just how TO best secure
i, are two things to be found out. We
only know that by careful selecting and
breeding from COWS that have the physi-
illogical tendency to secrete butter fat,
We can not only transmit that tendency
to the offspring, but increase and inteusi-
fy it, The subject is one worthy of the
most careful attention of scientists.
l. may be that we shall never be able
to tell why one family OF bovine animals
is given to the secretion of buttsr fats,
| and another puts fat around the kidneys
and among the muscles, any more than
se can tell why one seed produces white
| corn ana another yellow, or why one seed
| produces wheat and another corn. We
| cannot change the nature OF either, so far
SIS we yet know, and perhaps we cannot
change the innate qualities of the animal.
| But we can depend upon the seed, being
| true to its kind. and on this fact we can
| base our practice so as TO secure enough
| of the kind that we want. Possibly we
can rear COWS of large sizs that will give
| large yields of milk of superior quality,
| the yield always being proportional TO
| the sizs, without 6etriment to the consti-
| tuition OF the animal. We may yet get
the Jersey quality into Friesian milk.
The idea Is worth considering, and we
believe an effort in that direction is worth
making. The suggestion is made for
| what it may be worth.