THE BEST DAIRY COW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20419, 22 November 1929, Page 7

THE BEST DAIRY COW.

EXCELLENCE OF QUALITY, ' . 1 THE > BRITISH FARMER'S IDEAL./ According to a leaflet issued by th». ? British Ministry of Agriculture, the special points to be considered tn the pur-» chase and judging of dairy cattle are:;—; (1) General appearance denoting" ;consti- < tution and milking qualities, and that conformity to type which is noticeable : in all well-bred' animals; (2) shape end capacity of the udder, and size of, milk. veins and teats; .(3)" general iridicationi y of suitability for dairy purposes. * . The ideal , dairy cow, no matter or what breed, should be wedge-shaped/the side lines tapering from the bind "quarters to*-; ward the neck.- The head should bd fine, arid the eyes rather prominent;;tlie neck and throat clean, the horns; small : and ?not coarse. The dewlap, if any, ; should be, thin and not fleshy. The: shoulders should be light- and oblique, Ayith';, rather pronounced withers free from flesh, while the back should be lean. - Tfe®hips should be placed wide apart and level with the back; the rump long and wide, with a fine tail well set on, reaching down to the hocks, and- carrying a " good switch. The thighs should be long and lean, and the flanks thin; the hocks wide apart and set square, with plenty > of room allowed for the udder. * Ths abdomen should bo capacious in comparison with a " 'animal a typical dairy cow will often appear, flafcsided, but depth of body which denotes-constitution ' will make up for this apparent defect. If tho cow is one of the Channel Island ' breeds, the hoof should' be' small, and bright in % colour, the . skin soft and " creamy," ..aud .- the horns" "crumpled," clean and bright, well ?efc on; yellow? at the base and black toward <the % . tip. ,r The ndder • or bag should extend-well, forward—the. fore teats in some cows willbe found in a vertical lino with the hip bone. The udder should be full and. capacious, but not. fleshy, .the; • touch, flat, underneath and/weU ' : rounded • behind, each quarter', being sounds,andthe teats easy to draw v .The teals , •be evenly placed, "Squarely set oil." and of a useful size-for milking. -? The-milk-; - ■ veins should be lairge, prominent-.' and. branched. .... . , " Touch"- which is best judged by taking hold of a portion of the "skin and * flesh behind tho last rib, should be - " mellow," the skin loose and rather thin and of a slightly oily nature, and the V.V i hair soft and velvety. Ears which are. fine," well fringed with hair, and of a deep. yellow colour inside, are, in the case of the Channel Island breeds, usually regarded as certain indications of good quality and colour of milk and of butter; The horns should show no coarseness, and l the head Should be spare about the jaw.