134 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



developed. A cross with the old red stock generally cures the defect in the 

 she of the teats, but often causes a pendulous or fleshy bag. The Ayrshires 

 fatten readily when dry, and make fine beef. Thid stock has been known in 

 Scotland about eighty years, and great pains has been taken to keep it pure. 

 The breeders in Ayrshire do not allow their stock to breed, until they have 

 arrived at such an age that defects will be developed in the animals if they 

 exist in tliem. If a bull or heifer reaches the age of about three years without 

 exhifiiting defects of constitution, form, or disposition, they allow them to 

 breed. If defects begin to show themselves, the animals are turned to the 

 butcher. In this way they continually improve the breed. Our farmers, on 

 the other hand, permit the heifers to come in at two, or soon after, and put 

 the bulls to cows when they are eighteen months old, and use them beyond 

 their strength, so that by the time they are three years old, they are nearly 

 worthless. I cannot but think that the course pursued by the Ayrshire dai- 

 rymen is altogether the most judicious. No breeder, who regards the reputa- 

 tion of the stock which he raises, should ever breed from defective or imper- 

 fectly developed specimens ; and certainly no farmer who raises stock for his 

 own use, should subject himself to the loss that will surely result from such a 

 course. ' To breed from the most perfect specimens of the best kind of stock,' 

 should be the farmer's motto." 



Dr. Reynolds does not intend to say that breeders for dairy pur- 

 poses merely, must employ pure bred females. These are absolutely 

 necessary only for the breeder of pure stock. A cross of the Ayr- 

 shire bull upon good common cows is what is needed as most 

 profitable for dairy purposes. It would not pay to introduce pure 

 bred cows simply for their milk. Successful crosses and high 

 grades are often fully equal to pure bloods for all purposes except 

 breeding; but such, i. e. the males, should never be kept for bulls, 

 unless merely in place of worse, for though not to be depended 

 upon to transmit their virtues, they do sometimes, and so are 

 preferable to scrubs. For a milk or cheese dairy I would prefer 

 Ayrshires to any other, but for a butter dairy I would be loth to 

 dispense wholly with the Jerseys. 



The finest herd of Ayrshires in this country undoubtedly is the 



one owned by H, H. Peters, Esq., of Southborough, Mass. Last 



summer in looking over his cows I noticed one which was yielding 



at the time about fifty-five pounds of milk daily. Mr. Peters, at 



my request, has lately furnished me with a statement of her produce 



during one hundred and fourteen days. For steady continuance 



of a great yield of good milk, I think it doubtful if there be any 



authentic statements of its ever having been surpassed. It is as 



follows : 



" The cow, ' Jean Armour,' is a thorough-bred Ayrshire, six years old, was 

 calved May 1, 185G. She was imported by me in 1858, from Scotland ; her 

 last calf was dropped May 20, 18G2, and she will calve again in March, 18G3. 

 The daily product of milk has been carefully weighed from June 1 to Sept. 

 22, inclusive : 



