OCR Text |
Show Cow Capacity. In the selection of a milch cow for the farm some attention should be paid to her capacity to produce milk. There are on American farms altogether alto-gether too many cows that give only 3,000 or 4,000 pounds of milk per year. The 6,000 pounds of milk mark is a good one to strive for, and if a man can get together a herd of cows-that cows-that can average that amount he is about sure to make money out of them. But this milk should be above the average in richness, say 4 per cent.. There are indeed numerous cows that give as high as 12,000 pounds of milk per year, but they form but a smalt per cent of the whole. At the present pres-ent time an average of even 6,000 pounds of per cent milk is something some-thing to look forward to. It is to be regretted that in the past there has not been more method in breeding up and selection. Cows have been retained in the herd without much regard for their real capabilities, and ones that have been sent to the butcher butch-er have also been little understood. Some of our best strains as well as some of the poorest have gone to the shambles; and this process continued year after year has been to the detriment detri-ment of our herds. |