The record-union., 1892-06-08

When you sit down TO milk cow, If
hand pressure on her teats is followed by
evidence OF pain, as shrinking away or
raising her hoofs to kick, desist from
your manipulations and investigate the
cause Of her discomfort. The common
say Of management seems to be TO speak
harshIy to The animal and continue the
milking. Cows teats are very liable to
abrasion, especially when they are run
ming out, and the scratch of a thorn or brier
becomes, if not attended TO, very painful
TO the animal. 1t is not so much the mere
pain or soreness which damage the COW,
but what results from the abrasion by the
acts of ignorant mixers.
When the cow is compelled by harsh
words and perhaps blows to keep quiet
while a painful milking operation is per-
formed she resents the treatment with all
OF her sensitive bovine nature. How
Goes she make this resentment manifest?
Generally by holding UP her milk either
in a greater or less degree. Time and
again have we known of the perniciouS
habit of holding up milk formed i'll young
helfers in this way. The habit, too, is
tXed permanently in COWS in frst-class
dairies without the knowledge of the
owners, by the sly brutality OF ignorant
and passionate mixers.
When anything is found to be the mat
ter with a cows udder, causing soreness,
the injury, If on the surface, should be
aided in healing by some soothing appli-
cation. Common butter is often good for
slight abraSions, rubbed into the sore
after milking. Many dairymen ignore
these slight wounds and leave them for
nature TO heal That is just where they
make mistake. The wound cannot heal
as readily on the teat as It could on any
other part OF the bovine body. The rea-
son, which should be apparent to every
milker, is that the daily manipulation of
the teatS causes irritation, which is an
tagonlstic to the healing process. This
physical Irritation then results in a
nervous irritation to the COW at milking
time, and as great oaks from little acorns
grow" the annoyance resulting from
painful teat-pulling may cause the COW to
lessen her milk flow by giving it down
lrregularly. Some of the best cows have
tender teats, and are quite sensitive to
rough handling of the udder at any time
a COW with flabby, meaty udder and teats
Is seldom good dairy animal, and rough
pulling of the latter does not inconven-
ience her. We have those COWS, there
fore, which are generally the most physi-
cally sensitive as embodying the best
ldcteal characteristics. To the honest OBJ
server, then, the fact becomes clearly ap-
parent that sensitive cows, which are
usually good COWS, should have intellI-
gent and careful lhandling.-Ohio Farmer.
DAIRYMEN's MISTAKE.
There is no breed of cattle that has COM
pletely fulfilled all the requirements of
the farmer, for the reason that no breed
can be made to excel in certain character
istics without displaying its predominant
trait so prominently as to place it far
away in the lead in that particular respect
and so as to render all other meritorious
characteristics to appear deficient. Breeds
that excel in single characteristic, how
ever, may possess other qualities, but
which are not prominent simply because
comparison causes a marked difference
apparently to such a degree as to allow
the breed to seem deficient even where
excellence really exists. Hence breed
may be superior in milking and butter
qualities, yet not be claSsed among the
beef-producing breeds, though it may
even excel over some breeds for produc-
ing beef. The creameries have compelled
a large majority of theI dairymen to give
their attention to the production of large
quantities of milk instead of attempting
TO make a speciality OF making butter
When improving the common breeds,
many dairymen overlook the fact that
while the elegant and valuable jersey
breed is especially adapted for producing
butter, the cows are deficient in their
yields of milk.
cries be based on the amount of butter
fat, instead of on the number of gallons.
some advantage would be gained by the
dairymen who sell milk, but such is not
the case. As rule, there is fixed price
for milk, both at the creameries and in
the cities, and the dairyman can ONLY re-
sort to the breeding of his stock with
the view of securing cows that give the
largest yields possible. If he breeds from
butter-produclng breed only, he makes
a mistake. The two most prominent
breeds for milk production are the AYR
Shires and the Holsteins. The latter bear
the enviable titles of champions both in
the largest yields of milk and in the high
est records as butter-producerS, as well
as being of large size and possessing
hardness. In his selection if the dairy
man can secure a breed which Yields
largely of milk that is rich in quality he
Will not be able to sell more milk but
viii be ready at any time to encourage
the proposed system of baSing prices for
milk at the creameries on the amount of
butter fat, and it is but matter of a few
years before dairymen will be compelled
to resort to the best in order to succeed. =
Philadelphia Record.
SELECTING A GOOD COW.
The head of an extremely good COW
should be small, as the best mixers are
fine boned; it should also be long and
''cut up'' Under the neck, with a diShing
face. The neck should be thin and COM
paratively long. The hips should he
high. The hind legs of the cow that is
best for dairy purposes should be some
what crooked, and it was here that breed
erS, IN making selections, often made
mistakes by preferring cattle with q leo
quite straight up and down behind. There
should be slight sag to the BELLY. but
the animal should be- on the whole. a
little wedge-shaped from back to front,
the hip being higher than the shoulder.
and the line from belly TO brisket inclin-
ing upward. The tails of dairy cattle are
generally of pretty good length, with a
considerable taper. 1t is important in
selecting for breeding that all these points
should be known, ii being impossible 10
make the best purchases by symmetry
alone. There four points that should
be specially studied, and which serve as
infallible indications of milking qualities.
First, the milk veins, so-called, passing
from the forward side of the udder along
the under side of the animal toward the
front. They are either small or large.
straight or crooked. Consider the size of
these veins, for the size is one of the in
tallible tests of good milker. Be care
full TO see whether the vein is double or
not for 1t sometimes branches out. and il
double, the two should be added together.
because they may be equal to one large
vein. The veins sometimes form an an
gle on the front side of the udder. This
seldom occurs except on a very good
COW. On calves and fieshy cattle il is
difficult to lind the veins, therefore the
test can only be applied TO cows in milk
ing condition. a network of veins on
the perineum is good test and Indicates
milk. The chine, reaching from the
shoulder half way TO the hip, should be
examined. If it be double, the COW is
above the average; sometimes with a sim
gle chine is a depression into which two