FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 109 



rie, had no barn and could keep but one cow, I would prefer the little black 

 Kerry to all others. 



AYRSHIRES. 



They are named from the county in Scotland where they originated and 

 are chiefly bred. It is a high exposed region with bleak hill-sides and vast 

 tracts of moorland, — climate mild and damp. In perfect keeping with this 

 description of land is the hardy little Ayrshire, their breeders thoughtfully 

 adapting the animal to the locality and climate where it is to exist. 



GALLOWAYS. 



The Galloways constitute one of the most important breeds in Scotland, and 

 made its appearance within the last hundred years. This polled breed have 

 gradually supplanted the horned cattle, being much preferred by the graziers 

 and being docile and kindly feeders. The prevailing color is black, and the 

 Galloway is essentially the grazier's beast. The Holderness and the Holsteins 

 and some other breeds I shall omit, as I know of none in this vicinity. 



THE IMPROVED SHORT-HORN. 



There are two distinct classes of breeders of Short-horns. One class breed 

 with the sole object of early maturity and a tendency to take on flesh and fat 

 rapidly, and consequently make good show animals. The other class to have 

 good cows for milk and butter. Of the former we always find an array at the 

 fairs, while the latter are left quietly at home. 



Mr. Fish, a dairyman of Herkimer county, N. Y., recently reported to the 

 Agricultural Society that attention has been given to good selections for milk, 

 and the yield had been from 600 to 800 lbs. cheese per cow. Found no diffi- 

 culty in obtaining thorough bred Short-horns. A writer records that it is 

 because the English breeders of modern Short-horns generally prefer beef- 

 making to milk-giving properties that they have fostered variation in favor of 

 the one at the expense of the other, until the milk-giving quality in some fam- 

 ilies is nearly bred out. 



Mr. Frances Roach, of N. Y., reported that in one respect however, we must 

 confess the old Short-horns completely bore away the palm from their de- 

 scendants. AYe refer to their milking quality, once the distinguishing char- 

 acteristic of the race. The breeders of the present day have voluntarily 

 sacrificed this valuable quality for the sake of acquiring a greater propensity 

 to fatten, — beef, beef, has been the cry. 



We ourselves are of the opinion that it need not have been so utterly neg- 

 lected as it has been, believing that in this breed, the two properties of feeding 

 and milking are marvelously united. Such was the opinion of Mr. Bates, that 

 eminent English breeder, who insisted strongly upon this view. 



Mr. John Hare Powell of Philadelphia states that from the milk of the 

 thoroughbred Short-horn cow Belina given in three days 8 lbs. and 13 oz. of 

 butter was made, or at the rate of 20i- lbs. per week. 



I found the following in a Jackson newspaper : Seven years ago last Novem- 

 ber I purchased a heifer calf, then a few days old, of D. W. Pahner of Wash- 

 tenaw county, out of his celebrated iiead of Durhams. There has been sold 

 from that calf's progeny five calves, from which he realized 8280 (two of them 

 being sold for beef), and has five head remaining valued at §500. Then I 

 found published in another newspaper that this same man had kept an accu- 



