The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-25
TYPE or DAIRY COW
WHAT SHE SHOULD BE AS FIG
URED BY A TENNESSEE
PROFESSOR
DROUTH AFFECTS DIARIES

Product of the Country at Large Re-
ported to BE Reduced, with n
Prospective Advance Natural In
the Case of Various Dairy Prod
ucts - A HOIstein-Jersey Expert
ment and What 1t Proved.
A. M Soule of the University Of Ten
nessee, has an interesting article in the
last issue Of the Country Gentleman on
the CONFORMATION Of the Dairy Cow"
He says:
First of all we must consider the COW
as a machine for the economic production
of milk and butter. And she varies for
those two purposes. If you find a cow
that gives 5000 pounds of milk and yields
300 pounds of butter you have one well
adapted for that speciality. On the other
hand, If she gives 5000 pounds of milk
making 200 pounds of butter, she will
prove more remunerative for the first
consideration.
Commencing with the head, we have
the poll, the eye and the dish, three
points that should receive special atten-
ton in a dairy COW. Our arguments with
regard to these points are based on OBJ
servation-not on my own personal obser-
walton alone, but on the observation of
those who have had wide experience; and
we find, for example, that a COW that
has the poll, or point between the horns.
wide, is generally a good mixer. Now,
that 1t is an indication Of nervous energy.
When you see man of high broad fore
head, you expect him to be a brainy
man. We desire and seek the same thing
in a COW, for the reason that milk is the
direct product of nervous energy. We
want every point that indicates high
nervous energy strongly developed, and
very large brain indicates well
nourished nervous system.
Next look at the eye. Probably the
eye is one of the best indicators Of
nervous energy, or character, that you
can find anywhere When you meet
man whom you do not like, you condemn
him probably as much for his eye as any
other feature of his face. The eye seems
to show the soul. The same thing is
displayed in the cow. We look for those
things that indicate good temper, or, we
might say, for pleasing features. We
look for those features that are attrac
tive. You will find the eye Of the Jersey
COW probably the most highly cultured
eye in the dairy world. A large, limpid,
clear placid eye-it gives you the idea
at once Of gentle, kindly disposition,
and at the same time of a strong, Vlgor-
Gus nervous temperament.
Following the eye comes the dish of the
face. The dish is not due to the curva-
lures of the nasal bone so much as to
the prominence Of the eye and the brain.
We count the dish a good point for that
reason.
The next point to consider is the neck.
The neck Of a good dairy cow Will be lon
ger than that Of beef animal. In the
dairy COW you want a rather loose
jointed animal, with long neck and
loosely wedged body. In the steer you
look for short body. and compact,
thick neck. For two reasons we do not
want that type in the dairy cow When
you find a heavy, short, thick neck, you
have as rule tendency to meat pro-
duction; whereas the opposite tendency
would naturally be sought. Second, ami
mails require a certain quantity Of food
for maintenance; ali over that produces
milk, fat or energy, as the case may be.
In dairy animal that has both ten
denotes, instead Of all the surplus food
materials going to the production Of
mil {e iIrido ho+u +uyo r1to
onizing purposes and you get a meager
flow Of milk of variable quality There
fore we look for the neck to be rather
long, and thin from side to SIDE or eve
necked, as 1t Is sometimes called. It
should also have depth, and be free from
loose flesh or dewlap.
The body or barrel, Of the COW should
he very large, for the reason that her
digestive and assiuilative power is the
direct measure of her productive capacity.
Hence, that portion OF the body contain
ing the digestive and secretory organs
should be tremendously large, wide and
deep to give play to their respective func-
lions. In general, then the outline of the
dairy cow, as viewed from the side, would
be as follows: First, the neck is mar
row aud long, the shoulder point is rather
pansive, the TANKS somewhat contracted,
the hooks wide apart, and the runp
broad In q beef animal you will find
that from the shoulder to the rump is
almost q straight line when viewed from
the side.
The following article, in the Indiana
Farmer, is from the pen of E. r. Towle:
Not often has there been a crouth so
widespread and severe as during the pres
mt season. The results of this continued
drouth are becoming apparent in the
lessening yield of dairy products, and adj
vance In prices for same. This should
naturally be expected, and will most.
likely continue during the remainder of
the season. OF course we shall expect
to have rain soon, but it will be too late
to make much difference in the growth
of feeds, but supply Of water will be
particularly acceptable
Now, at a time when prices are favor
able for farmers, and particularly dairy
men, the yield of milk has gone down
from a fourth to a half on the average.
There will, of course, be few exceptions
to this where abundant provision has been
made for cattle feed when the pastures
fail, but a more than usual amount will
be needed, and 1t IS to be feared that
many farmers will fail of having sufii-
cient for properly supplying sc great
deficiency. Those that are able to do so
may consider themselves very fortunate.
There should be a lesson learned from
this years experience, and that is the
Importance of making abundant pro-
vision for the wants of the dairy. When