REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 77 



Ardrossan ; Mr. James Howie, Burnhouses, Moscow ; Mr. James 

 Picken, Laigh Langside, Craigie ; Mr. Hugh Rodger, Attiquin, 

 Maybole ; Mr. Thomas Dow, Hawkhill, Dailly ; Mr. Wm. Kirk- 

 wood, Shankston, Patna ; Mr. M. Richmond, Currarie, Ballan- 

 trae ; Mr. Peter Gemmell, Todhill, Feuwick ; Mr. Hyslop of 

 Bank, New Cumnock ; Mr. John Hamilton, (of B umbrae), 

 Woodhead, Galston ; Mr. James Pollock, Raws of Grougar ; Mr. 

 John Drummond, Camsiscan, Tarbolton ; Mr. James Findlay, 

 Lyoustone, Maybole ; Mr. Peter Connor of Cahoole, Dalrymple ; 

 Mr. Robert Caldwell, Knockshoggle, Coylton ; Mr. Geo. Young, 

 Mains of Kilmaurs ; Mr. James Craig of Craigdarroch, New 

 Cumnock ; Mr. Wm. Muir, Marshland, Beith ; Mr. James 

 Brown, Cartleburn, Kilwinning ; Mr. John Kilgour, Noltmire, 

 St. Quivox ; Mr. John Campbell, Knockjarder, Dalrymple, &c, 

 for instance ; yet he may be allowed to express an opinion, and 

 it is the opinion of many old experienced dairy farmers, that too 

 much stress is laid on mere beauty or handsomeness of form and 

 colour, and too little attention paid to milking-power. A move 

 was made in the right direction at Ayr show two or three years 

 ago, at the suggestion and expense of the late Duke of Athole, 

 when a large prize was offered for that cow which gave the best 

 pecuniary return from the aggregate of several successive milk- 

 ings. Most decidedly, that cow which gives the largest return 

 in butter or cheese, upon equal feeding and for the whole season's 

 milking, is the best milch cow, whatever her " points" may be. 

 Too little circumspection in the choice of cows for holding on is 

 given by our farmers. If the milk from each cow was regularly 

 subjected to close scrutiny, and only those kept on whose milk 

 bore the test of rich quality along with good quantity, a vast 

 amount more money might be realized in the aggregate. A 

 capacious, well- formed, and well-set udder, is certainly the chief 

 point of excellence to which a purchaser should look, who iu- 

 tends to earn his living from the cow's produce, whilst quietness 

 and docility of temper probably rank second. As a general rule 

 amongst Ayrshires, the larger cows yield more milk than the 

 smaller ones, but for several years back the tendency of selection 

 by the judges at cattle-shows has been to lower the breed in 

 size, and which, of course, affects the cows injuriously also as 

 beefers. The purest stocks of Ayrshires are in Cunningham and 

 the northern parts of Kyle. 



The grass should always be allowed a fair start, but the 

 ordinary time of putting the cows on is the beginning of May, 

 and most of them are drying up in the beginning of November, 

 so that only six good milking months can be reckoned upon in 

 the year. The earlier the cows calve, they dry up the sooner, 

 and vice versa ; although the milk may be greatly prolonged in 

 either case by plentiful house feeding. Except on farms in close 



