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Show BREED ONLY TO GOOD SIRES, j Dairymen should always breed only the 'best animals which arc adapted to ) dairying. No matter what the cost, breed to a good sire, even to com- mon stock. The most ordinary herds can be standardized by continuous 1 brced:ng to well known and reliable , sires. It is always best to stick to one breed. Professor Curtiss says: There is by no means, a: consensus of opinion as to what constitutes a good cow, but of one thing we may rest assured, viz., the breeder who ; docs not have a correct idea of what it takes to make a good .cow is not likely to succeed in breeding or even selecting a herd of them. Before an artist can paint a great picture he must first have a correct conception of what such a picture is. There are a number of charactcris- ' tics of more or less importance that distinguish a good cow, but there arc two characteristics that are invariable accompaniments two characteristics that a good cow never lacks. Take it where you will and of whatever breed or typcr a good cow always has a good head a distirtct dairy head-indicating head-indicating strong vital and nerve force, and a capacious, roomy, well formed udder. The head of a good dairy cow is never coarse and rough, but always clean and feminine, yet strong and matronly. ' The uefder should never be deep and pointed or 'shaped like an inverted 1 bottle, but broad on the lower surface sur-face -and 'Mic quarters evenly devel- oped and placed well apart. A' good ,V cow will have large prominent milk .1 veins, and a rich, soft, velvety skin. Given these and a form that indicates . constitution and vitality and capacity for milk, you have the essentials of a good cow and! minor points of fancy and theory may well take secondary ' rank or even be largely ignored. The cow that hasn't these characteristics had better be discarded, even though she has a royal pedigree. o |