ON THE AYRSHIRE BREED OF CATTLE. 145 



the curd to about 80 degrees in summer and 88 in winter, twenty- 

 minutes being allowed for the mass to settle. The whey is 

 taken off a second time, heated and put on, thus raising the tem- 

 perature to 100 deg. in warm, and 105 in cold weather. The 

 curd is once more allowed to settle, and the whey finally poured 

 off. The curd is then laid out to cool, after which it is put in 

 the press for a little while, taken out, milled and salted — -1 lb. of 

 salt being used to 56 lbs. of curd. The substance is then put into 

 the press-vat at a temperature of 66 to 68 deg., great care being 

 taken to obtain the proper heat; for, if too warm, a portion of the 

 fat is sent off, and if too cold, all the whey and acid will not be 

 separated from the curd. On the fourth day, the cheese may be 

 taken from the press, neatly bandaged, and put into the cheese- 

 room, which should be well ventilated and furnished with a 

 stove. 



Feeding Qualities of the Ayrshire and its Crosses. 



Although the Ayrshire cow is bred chiefly for milking pur- 

 poses, she also fattens very quickly when put dry, for the same 

 functions which ordinarily fill the udder, also cover the frame 

 with fat. Cows are fed off at various ages. If any decline in 

 milking qualities is noticed, some are fed off at seven years, 

 others are kept until nine, while extraordinary pail cattle are 

 sometimes kept until they are advanced in their teens. It is 

 astonishing how rapidly those aged cattle thrive when put upon a 

 nice sweet pasture, the herbage of wdiich is somewhat richer than 

 that to which they have been accustomed. The Americans have 

 also found out this quality which the breed possesses. One farmer, 

 whose dairy stock is entirely composed of Ayrshires, says, " The 

 Ayrshires are hardy and thrifty, are easily fattened and make 

 good beef, while for milking, in our country, are infinitely better 

 than any breed I have ever seen. They will fatten where a 

 Durham cow would keep as poor as a rail, and I have known 

 them to furnish from 500 to 600 lbs. of drsssed meat. There are 

 no better feeders, and their flesh is as fine as anybody wants. 

 In colour and shape I consider the Ayrshire as attractive as most 

 breeds, not much inferior to the Shorthorn, and vastly superior 

 to the fancy Alderneys, which are so diflicult to get into butchers' 

 condition. " 



When crossed with a shorthorn, the progeny are excellent 

 types for grazing; they lay flesh on quickly and make heay\" 

 weights. Many dairy farmers either keep, or have access to a 

 Shorthorn bull, using their favourite milkers for breeding Ayr- 

 shires solely for dairy purposes, and the remainder of the stock 

 for breeding shorthorn crosses for grazing. Galloway crosses 

 also thrive well; they are "kindly doers;" they lay on a 

 maximum amount of flesh with a minimum amount of food, and 



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