The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1910-11-25
CHOOSING THE
FAMILY cow


1et limited nowadays in the matter
or breed. Well-bred stock has become
80 general, that Ordinarily one can
Duy at option an individual of almost
any OF the approved breeds; not a
pedigreed animal, perhaps, unless a
rather high price is paid, but high
grade which means that the animal
is not a registered pedigree, but is
nearly enough pure-bred to be so for
all practical purposes. 1t remains.
then. to choose whether one will buy
Holstein. a Jersey. an Ayrshire, or
one of any other OF the breeds COM
monty in use.
The choice must be made in accord
ance with what is most wanted.
whether milk or cream. Ii cream. the
choice, most emphatically. should be
Jersey or Guernsey. But for feed
ing infants, milk little less rich is
IN butter fats tan that given by these
animals is generally better. An ideal
COW for this purpose is a cross be-
tween the Jersey and Ayrshire, and
this. perhaps, is as good a family
COW as caI be had for all the uses
generally required. But it is only
occasionally that a COW bred in just
this way Is to be found, and a cross
OF the Jersey or Guernsey-which are
strictly butter breeds-upon any OF
the approved milk breeds makes an
animal OF very similar characteris-
tics. The strictly milk breeds are not
recommended for family cows.
The first thing to remember in
choosing a cow is that the cow most
feminine in appearance is the best
mixer. Roughly speaking, she should
be shaped something like a wedge
large and well-deyeloped behind, and
small and fine in front.
She should be wide between the
hips and low in the flank, with her
hind quarters set a little apart, so as
to give room for her udder. Her belly
should be of good size, but should
round outward, rather than down
ward. and her rump should be
straight-that is, the root of her tail
should be nearly on line with her
backbone. The shoulders should be
thin and rather narrow at the top;
chest deep rather than broad; neck
thin. head small, but longish-clean-
cut and fine in the muzZle. The horns
should be small and of fine texture;
and the eyes rather large, but mild
and gentle, and not showing much of
the white. Her skin should be soft
and pliable, and the finer and silkier
her coat the better.
The udder should be large and we'll
developed, but should stay properly
in its place and not sag down too
low. The four teats should stand well
apart from each other, forming a
square" udder; and they should be
smooth and soft, free from warts or
excrescences. They should also be
long enough to be taken hold of by
the whole hand in milking, as when
they are so short as to have to be
held between the thumb and two fin
gers, the work of milking is greatly
increased.
The udder should always be free
from freshness, and after being emp
tied OF milk it should be soft, shrunk-
en- and somewhat wrinkled. Fleshi-
ness in the udder cannot be detected
when it is full, and the only test is to
have the COW MIXED. This test also
shows how much milk she gives and
whether she is gentle.
IL the cow has any bad habit-such
as breaking out OF her pasture Or,
rarely be discovered on such first ex-
animation as the purchaser can give,
even if he is very careful; but it Is
sure to show itself later. So in this
matter he must trust the seller and
take his chance. But the chance.
after all, is not very long one, for.
the overwhelming majority of COWS
are free from these habits, and if
she is gentle to milk and handle there
is usually little to fear.
A great many new owners of cows
are disappointed at first in the amount
of milk obtained. This is because the
cow is always uneasy and homesick
in new place, and she must become
thoroughly wonted to her surround
ings before she will do her best at the
pail. This is matter not infrequent-
ly of a week or more
This Inconsistencies cannot be avoid
ed, but it can be shortened, and some
OF the uneasiness of the cow averted
by attending very carefully to her
wants and rendering her, ii possible.
more comfortable than in the place
she came from.