UDDER OF THE COW.

Otago Witness, Issue 3015, 27 December 1911, Page 17

UDDER OF THE COW.

POINTS OF IMPORTANCE. In considering the points of a dairy cow (states the English Farmer and Stockbreeder) one must necessarily keep in view the fact that milk is the one thing above every other to be encouraged. A crovssbred cow may be an indifferent-looking animal; yet in a heavy milker much will be excused, but in the case of a pursbred we look for something more artistic and satisfying than merely a heavy milk yield in the courso of a period of lactation. Greater importance is being attached to the form of the animal as impressing the milking - capacity. At nearly every show where the judging of cattle by appearance is carried out, there are certain features which are looked for, and which usually find expression in good milking stock. DEFECTS OF THE UDDER.

Take the head and the neck as examples ! The head should be clean-cut, without the slightest wooden appearance. The eye should be bold, and the face even slightly dished in the case of the Jersey

amj oertain other breeds. It Is a common fault in cattle, and particularly dairy cattle, to have a long wooden-like nose, which spoils the appearance, and in the case of oertain pure breeds, such as the shorthorn there is often a darkening of the muzzle, which implies, in the eyeg of the breeder, a certain impurity of origin, however remote in the ancestry.

In the case of the Jersey, inside the ear should be very creamy in appearance and the creamier the better. The neck should be thin and graceful, without being scraggy. A thick neck on dairy cattle is at all times taboo-. It is not usually a sign of milking capacity. Regarding shoulders, a rigid rule cannot be drawn. In the case of dairy breeds which are solely used for that purpose, such a, 9 the Ayrshire and the Jersey, they are *n in over the chine, and the shoulders well defined, but by no means wide, as the type of animal aimed at is more or less of the wedge shape, but in general-purpose animals—that is to say, capable of producing milk and beef—greater width at _ the shoulders is usually found, and an animal should be fairly substantial there, so long as there is no coarseness. The back in every breed should bo straight—that is a sine qua non of a good constitution. The rib 3 should be deep and well arched, and in a general-purpose breed should be_ well fleshed. In certain cases very deep milkers will waste this flesh awav, but immediately they are dry they will put on bloom rapidly. This is not altogether a defect, but it is not entirely desirable to increase this too far. In a purely dairy breed, such as the Jersey, sleekness and high condition are not usually points which are found in heavy milkers. The skin should ait all tlirwes be soft under hand and elastic, but flesh is not expected in the middle of a lactation period. The' hip bones should be prominent and the tail well set on. A coarse tail is not at any time considered a sign of a good milker, and thin tails are generally regarded as part and parcel of the equipment of deepmilking cattle. It is a very common fault in dairy cattle to find an elevated tail, but the squarer and more symmetrical the outline the better the type. A CONTRAST IN MILK VESSELS. Showing the difference in the formation of the-udders of different breeds:

The milk is usually considered to express as much of the milking character of an animal as any other part of the anatomy. There is no regulation type to be followed. The Ayrshire and the Jersey are r/iore akin than the Jersey and the shorthorn. In the two former breeds the long, level, symmetrical bag is in favour, but the shorthorn's has generally been distinguished by depth and wealth, and a slightly pendulous habit. Viewed from behind, thero should be ample width between the legs, and the vessel should fall in folds, which are elastic and sleek to the touch. Much depends upon the formation of vessel, for a tight bag, with strutting teats, is an almost sure indication of a moderate milker. Most of the purely dairy breeds have the milk veins very pronounced, and they become more pronounced the older the animal. The setting on of the teats is another important point. They should be equally placed and depend without any appearance of pointing. It is a fault in some breeds, particularly in Ayrshire, to have rather small teats, increasing the difficulty of milking. Rather large, fleshy teats, on the other hand, are liable to get dirty, and it is best to aim at obtaining those of medium size. When they are bunched together it is a sure sign of inadequate capacity in the udder, and where thev are fleshy and bulbous at the roots it is either a sign of old age or inadequate accommodation. Briefly, these are the points of a dairy cow, added -to which may be that of carriage, which should be easy and graceful.