The Milking Properties of a Cow.

Otago Witness, Issue 1602, 5 August 1882, Page 7

The Milking Properties of a Cow.

How to form a correct estimate of the milking qualities of a cow is just exactly what many would like to know. The name now generallyassociated with the ' milk mirror ' or escutcheon, as an unerring sign of milk-producing Eower, is that of Gueuon, and by the rules he as laid down a writer in the Country Gentleman says : — ' Anyone can tell the value of an animal if he will follow them. Let me summarise what Guenon judged from— : , tho skin ; 2, the hair ; 3, the conformation ; 4, the age ; 5, the period of gestation ; G, the health ; 7, tho feed; S, tho breed; 9, the size; ]0, the escutcheon. For when ho found out tho nine previous points, he would go back and naturallly expect to find a corresponding escutcheon ; and then he could tell to a quart how mnch the animal would give, how long she would give it, and of what quality it would bo, or in other words how much butter she would make. And by no other rules of judging do we know that anyone can tell the character of an animal he has never put eyes upon before.' The skin should be silky, and the hair fine and silky also ; the general conformation should be something wedge-shaped, the rump being the thick end, and tapering off in every way to the front; long face, fine horn, light, neck, fine shoulders, heavy in flank and wide in loin, and a large udder. The cow should be roomy, capable of feeding well, and to secure the desired end would require to be well fed, for the best animals are failures without proper care and treatment.