The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-05-26
Nerve Power in Cows.

Several years ago Governor Hoard
came before the people with the claim
that the milking machinery of a cow
was the result of nerve action and
nerve force, and that the better the
veloped, without carrying it into the
domain of "fury" uncontrolled, the
better the COW, and the longer the
milking period. Unfortunately it was
yclept the "nervous theory. but
later on the expression "dairy temper
ament" was substituted, and the then
theory has been now generally accepted
as dairy orthodoxy, and the leading
scientists and savants have devoted
great amounts of study and attention
to the reasoning and substantiation of
the ideas set forth by the governor.
The latest addition to the stock of
knowledge is from savant Roehrig, and
is as follows
/ have given special attention to the
relationship of the nervous system to
the mammary gland. A nerve starts
from the spinal cord, at the lower part
of the loins, and divides in the pelvis,
into three branches. One branch is
distributed among the muscles of the
abdomen, while the other two become
distributed throughout the udder. In
this latter organ the nerves are divided
80 that one branch is associated with
the teat, another with the milk cistern,
while the third permeates the lobules
and alveoli. When the teats are
worked with the hands, the nerves sur
rounding them become irritated, and
through these, nerves of the secreting
glands, within the udder, are excited,
causing their contraction, and the dis
charge of their contents. Although no
more milk may be actually formed,
there is an increase in the amount
poured out, due to the contraction of
the walls of the glands, or milk ducts.
The action of the blood vessels and
veins is affected by the activity of the
nerves. Through nerve suppression,
or stimulation, the blood current may
be reduced or increased in force. This
is due to the construction, or expan.
sion, of the blood vessels supplying the
gland. The nervous system of the
cow is intimately associated with the
production of milk. Very productive
mixers, as rule, show more pro-
nounced nervous temperament than do
animals of the beef type that secrete
very much less milk.
When men come to understand the
intimate relation that exists between
the mammary, or milk giving organs of
the COW, and the genital organs of the
male, with the brain and the nervous
system, they will more readily see
three other things, to wit:
% The necessity of breeding for
large nerve power, and pronounced
nervous, or dairy temperament, if they
wish to secure the best cow possible.
CD That dehorning, either male or
female, is likely to result in a severe
nervous shock and injury, to that ner-
vous system, and so lessen their value,
as breeding animals. (3.) That the
kindest of usage, and the largest pro-
motion of comfort to the cow, will, just
to that extent, lessen all nerve irrita-
ton, and thus enable the nervous sys-
tenn to devote its strength and energy,
to the more profitable work of milk
giving. The man, who does not recog-
nize these delicate and somewhat OBJ
scure physiological principles, will
prove poor and Improbable breeder,
or handler of cows.-Hoard's Dairy
man.