REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 85 



stomachs are impregnated that gives out to the water in which 

 they are steeped (forming " rennet ") the coagulating virtue, and 

 the stomach of a calf fed for a fortnight or so, must of necessity 

 be more strongly impregnated than that of one having got only 

 two or three meals. Occasionally the u slinks " do not get even 

 one meal of milk, but are sent off direct. Slink veal has at hast 

 one good property, however,- — that of moderating the surgeon's 

 bill for salts (epsom) ! Too little attention, generally, is be- 

 stowed in the selection of those quey calves for rearing, only 

 from the known good milchers of the stock. Cows occasionally 

 " pick-calf" (abortion), and when that happens with one, the 

 other calvers in the byre from involuntary sympathy are prone 

 to follow suit. A cow having once u picked-calf," may as well 

 be immediately fattened off or parted with, as she is not likely 

 to be profitable for the future ; and that is another good quality 

 of the Ayrshires, that they at any time and any age readily 

 fatten and pay well as beefers. 



The young calves get warm milk morning and evening for the 

 first 6 or 7 weeks — drinking out of "luggies," as no suckling is al- 

 lowed — and for some time longer a less rate of milk or whey, with 

 linseed-meal, bruised oil-cake, or other food, stirred in ; and get- 

 ting latterly during the daytime the run of some sheltered croft 

 or paddock near the homestead. Till rising three years old the 

 younkers get in most cases just the run of the farm, lying out 

 generally the whole year round, but where not regularly housed 

 during winter, having at least partly enclosed sheds for shelter, 

 and receiving allowances of the usual nourishing yett-strae diet. 

 Many steadings now comprise " straw yards" with roofed sheds 

 surrounding, in which the queys are wintered on the oat-straw 

 and water; and during their third summer, a large proportion of 

 them are grazed on old grass taken for that purpose at some of 

 the public lettings formerly noted. The queys having been 

 mostly brought up on very bare pastures, when exported to Ire- 

 land for instance, thrive amazingly afterwards upon the luxuriant 

 grass lands of Erin. Making due allowance for all tatted off, — 

 either young or old, male or female, — for deaths and abortions, 

 &c, there must be from 8,000 to 10,000 head of cattle annually 

 exported from Ayrshire, and presently fetching high prices, 

 higher than they have been for many years back, — queys ranging 

 from £8 to £12 each, and milch cows from £10 to £16, or more. 

 At Mr. lvie Campbell's -annual sale (May 1865) at Dalgig, ten 

 of his young Ayrshire cows averaged £19 5s. 9d. each, lor Mr. 

 Campbell is hardly less widely known for his good Ayrshire 

 stock, than he is for his celebrated bieed of greyhounds. Since 

 the " International Show ? ' at Paris in 1855, many herds of 

 first-class Ayrshires have gone to France and other parts of 

 Europe, and an increasing demand has existed through more 



