The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-05-05
Some Differences Between Dairy Cows
and Beef Cows.

The good dairy cow cannot stand the
cold equal to beef animal. The best
dairy cows-the largest producers-are
very sensitive to cold. no matter how
well they are fed. Turn one of each
kind out of the barn together some day
when the thermometer is below zero,
see how the dairy COW will arch up her
back and SILVER, giving every evidence
of suffering,-and the better dairy COW
she is the more sensitive she is-while
the beef COW, not only does not suffer,
but sometimes seems really to enjoy it.
The fattening steer will sometimes
even lie down on snowbank with ap-
parent satisfaction.
Why this difference, is question we
have often asked. Is it not that the
circulation of the blood is different in
the two animals; that the blood circu-
lates nearer the surface with the beef
animal keeping up the heat, while with
the dairy animal the circulation is more
on the inside of the body, leaving the
surface prey to the cold? We don't
know, but we believe that the true an
swer is in the affirmative.
Every one knows that the beef bred
animal will take on flesh, that is cover
up his bony structure on the outside
with heavy coating of meat and fat
much more rapidly than will the dairy
bred animal on the same amount of the
same kinds of feed. But, perhaps,
every one is not aware of the fact that
the dairy bred animal will deposit tai
low on the inside much more rapidly
than the other. Such is the fact, as /
know from personal experience. Is
not this also in consequence of the diff
ference in the circulation of the blood
in the two animals?
Once, on my farm, was dairy bred
COW, lean, spare, and bony enough to
delight the eye of any fancier of the
dairy form. She was young, but her
udder failed in its function, and we de-
termined to fatten her. Her appetite
was good, and she managed to make
way with great amount of food; but
what she did with it was mystery. 1t
seemed to be well digested, but she put
on very little flesh.
After she had eaten her head off "
we concluded not to waste any more
feed on her and offered to sell her to
the butcher. But he would not give
two cents pound for her because she
was $50 thin" Being determined to
have her out of the way, we butchered
filled up with tallow to remarkable
degree. She had some meat, of course,
and it was good what there was of it,
but it was the costliest meat ever pro-
duced on our farm.
Last winter, while talking with Hon.
Mr.. Pratt, of River Falls, Wis, who is
butcher, he expressed himself some
thing like this: " wish you could say
something to the dairymen here to in
duce them to stop trying to make beef
of old dairy cows. They stuff them with
feed for long time and then bring
them to me, and think they are cheated
because cannot give them two cents a
pound for them. But am sure to be
beat, if do buy them for that, for,
when they are butchered, there is not
much of them but bones and tallow,
and tallow is worth but one and one
half cents pound"
"Now all this is true, that the ami
NAL that is fitted by nature to turn her
food into milk the most proftably can
not be profitable producer of beef.
Nor can the animal that is the most
profitable beef-producer ever be profit
able producer of milk. Which do you
wish to produce? Choose, and then
use the animals fitted for the work you
wish done, but don't try to do both
with the same animal.
1t is true that all cows will give some
milk and make some meat, but to make
a profit in the production of either, it is
necessary to have animals bred and
reared for the special purpose for which
they are to be used.-C. 2. Goodrich, in
Hoard's Dairyman.