152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



has jet attempted to trade on the name of the Ayrshire, though 

 there is as good reason for adopting this name as man}' others. We 

 have seen from ordinary farming experience that the Ayrshire is a 

 good butter maker in Vermont and Canada, producing in six months 

 an amount of butter which Denmark after thirt}' years of special 

 education cannot excel on her best managed farms. With such a 

 cow, with such a home market for her products, and with a future 

 so full of promise, we may be forgiven the enlhusiastic song of 

 praise for Scotland's best animal. 



HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN CATTLE. 



By P. M. Harwood, Barre, Mass. 



[Given at Institutes at Skowhegan and Biddeford.] 



Among the pleasant memories of my boyhood days I recall the 

 old open fireplace in the kitchen before whose genial flames our 

 family used to sit during long winter evenings, and we sometimes 

 listened to tales of adventure in Maine by mj^ father whose early 

 life was spent in the vicinity' of Macbias. Upon one point he was 

 always sure to dwell, and that was the hospitable disposition of the 

 early settlers. With such an introduction to 3'our people made at a 

 time when the mind was deeply impressible, can you wonder that it 

 is with more than ordinary pleasure that I come before you ? 



Your Secretary has invited me here to speak upon Holstein-Frie- 

 sian Cattle. 



In order to form an accurate idea of the capacity of the breed, 

 let us first look to the history and conditiois of its development. 

 To do this we must cross tlie Atlantic in our imaginations and take 

 a look at their native country. North Holland, where they have 

 been bred for upwards of 2000 years, being kept comparatively pure 

 during all that period and yet without the herd book or that 

 S3'stematic intelligence which is now being applied to their breeding 

 in this country. The province of North Holland is about 50 miles 

 long by 20 miles wide, a large portion of the land being below the 

 level of the sea from which it is protected by natural barriers on the 

 west and by artificial dykes on the other boundaries. It is said that 

 the best cattle are bred upon the polders which have a heavy clay 



