The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-18
Selecting Dairy Cows.

Judging the COW and giving her score
| Is not difficult f a standard OF points 5
| adhered TO, but at the fairs the judging
Is mostly governed by external appearances
and marks. These points are necessary
! because they serve to assist n preserving
the purity of the breed. There must be
some outward sign TO guide the judge and
| breeder or the breed would be obliterated
by crossing with others, and the rules reg
ulating the requirements of each breed
| should, therefore, be adhered to. The first
! and most important point Is 10 determine
/ the breed to which COW belongs, as each
! breed possesses characteristics of its own,
! and the next is 10 endeavor TO know more
! OF the usefulness of the individual and
her capacity for performing the duties re-
| quired. 1t is said that the only correct
test that can be made with a COW is her
| work in the stall, which is true 10 a GER
tain extent, but it is sometimes necessary
20 form an opinion Of the future OF a
calf or young heifer, which Is difficult
yet there is something IN the judging of
calf or young heifer, that may ASS.
! the dairyman IN his selection. Even the
| male is frequently judged by his form and
markings regarding his fitness as future
sire of productive cows. The best guide Is
knowledge Of the animals, and the fam,-
lies from which they were derived. yet
nature has given the breeds certain forms
and peculiar;ties, which, II not infallible
ana unalterable, are al least evidences 10
certain extent, and which confirm the
claim that every farmer should make him.
self familiar with the points and charac-
teristics OF the breeds If he expects to de-
rive the greatest product al the least cost.
The cow may possess all the markings
OF superiority. such as perfect escutcheon,
large udder, well-shaped teats. etc, but the
cnier point is her capacity 10 consume and
digest large quantity of food, as ii is
from the food that she produces milk and
butter; hence it may truly be said that
TO know cow Well she must be examined
internally, SO as TO judge and score her
heart, lungs, liver and stomach, which IS
not possible; but dairymen are content TO
form favorable opinion of a cow in that
respect If she has deep body, indicating
the possession of large digestive organs
Long experience has taught progressive
dairymen that a COW having a wedge
shape form, the rear being wide; the I'D
Ger large and extending we'll both front
and back, with the teats set regularly and
well apart, is usually one that will not
d!sappoint her owner, but as the individ-
uality of the animal Is also a factor in
the breed the disposition, freedom from
disease and quality of the product must
also be considered, especially as no two
ity of the milk and butter may vary with
the same individual daily. The calf should
also conform to the shape of the COW,
and even the embryo udder will give some
indication of its future. An experienced
breeder gives this rule for judging a cow
or calf by Its appearance: With the eye
measure the distance from the tail about
half way down the rump, as it drops
straight down, 70 the rear line of the thigh,
and the greater the distance between those
points, and the more curving OF the thigh,
The better the cow. The hips must curve
away from the tail as an indication of a
good mixer.
The purposes for which the cow is in |
tended must not be overlooked in making !
a selection. The beef COW has been made |
so by years of breeding. A cow cannot !
perform two special duties at the same !
time. as nature bestows only one domi- |!
nant talent on any creature, though 1t |
may be useful in many respects; hence |
a cow cannot excel in producing beef and |
milk at the same time. What she gains |
in one direction she will lose in another. |
At the Minnesota experiment station in an !
experiment all the food was weighed and |
the product recorded. The result showed !
that certain cows converted the food into !
flesh, the fat being stored in the body as I
tallow, while other cows, instead of stor- {
ing the tallow on their bodies. gave milk |
rich in butter fat. The fleshy cows had /
q tendency to make beef The best milk
ers were the thin. spare cows. In fact,
they were thin because they were more |
capable of producing milk and butter than
IN taking on of flesh. The cost of pound
Of butter from the beefy cows was IL.
cents; from cows less disposed to make
beef the cost Of the butter was 10 cents
per pound; from the third group, composed
IF spare cows, that were lacking in depth
u body, the cost was 141s cents per pound,
md from spare cows, deep in body, the
cost was a fraction over 10 cents per
pound. The experiment showed that the
very spare COW, not disposed 10 take on
at, deep through the middle of the body, |
PRODUCES butter at less cost than the feshy
me, and the less inclination of a COW
o take on flesh when literally fed the
'etter she proved as producer Of milk
md butter.