Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-09-17
THE PROFITABLE COW.

interesting Paper Read Before the
Ontario Farmer Institute.
want a COW with broad nose. and
oblonG nostrils; want a COW that is
very full behind the fore legs. She
wants heart room and heart power,
and the best indication of heart power
win be found in the skin of the animal
The better the heart pumps, the more
efectually it will circulate the blood
to the very extremities of the cows
body. The skin of the beast is one of
the best evidences of its heart power.
The best evidence of stomach power
will also be found in the skin of the
animal If there is vigorous circula-
ton, and the blood is detective in
nourishment; then you have a skin
that is hard and tight, and bristly
hair, because the digestive action or
heart action are interfered with and
are not regular.
Many men contend that the milk
veins should be very large. I consider
that to be immaterial, but the milk
veins should be prominent
A cows nose should be dewy and
moist; when it is dry it is an indica-
ton of i'll health. 1t means bad diges-
ton, waste of feed and waste of profits.
She should have fat ribs, and wide
apart.
You want. beyond these three powers,
the peculiar power in an animal of di,
recting her energy to do what she is
kept for. You want the directive
power toward beef if you keep the
animal for beef; you want the directive
power toward milk if you keep her fo1
milk.
The directive power in an animal is
the valuable power whereby you find
her directing her energies to where
you are to find the biggest profits. A
scrub has good lungs as a rule. A
scrub hog will often outrun a dog.
You will have heart power in a scrub;
sometimes you have very powerful di-
gestion, but she lacks the directive
power that will concentrate those
three powers to service, and not to
waste.
In the milking COW you will find first
evidence Of the directive power in the
kind of face she has rather long,
lean face, with no superhuous skin; no
Indication of fabbiness; large, lustrous
eyes, standing very wide apart and
very prominent, with forehead dished
downward; long and broad forehead;
a large muzzle; a wide mouth, indi-
eating large eating pOwers-the only
coarse part of cows head that is
justifiable. It indicates the power to
keep on grinding her food, and indi-
Gates a strong constitution. She should
have long, thin, tapering neck, as a
bulky, beefy neck indicates short
milking season. Her shoulder bones
should be right above the leg and wide
apart, and the joints loose; the wider
these are apart the better indication
you have of a large flow of milk when
the COW is doing her best do not
think it indicates anything of the
length of the season.
Thick, beefy hips mean beef, not
milk.
The cows udder should be long and
shapely. with a long line of attach
ment between the udder and the cows
body. You never find a coarse COW q
good mixer. I like q cow to have all
the angles possible. but the bones
themselves and skin ought to be fine in
quality.
Having a cow of this kind. it is posi-
BILE to make her serve you well, but she
never could do SO without getting care,
right feed and proper handling.-Prof
T. A. Rnhinson