3_76 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



on inquiry I found that she had descended from a herd of Ayrshires 

 brought into that section many years ago — and now nearly 

 extinct. There are- certain portions of Massachusetts, where I 

 can always replenish my herd of cows without much diflSculty, and 

 with many chances of finding good animals ; and I always find 

 that either Parsons imported into that region, or such men as 

 Pickering and Newell brought thither choice imported animals 

 from other parts of the State. And I think you will find that 

 whether you are searching for beef or milk, as a general rule, the 

 farther you get from the " old red stock " the better off you will 

 be, always granting that they possess certain qualities which 

 furnish an excellent opportunity for improvement. 



Without discussing the merits of the specially beef-growing 

 animal of modern days, such as the improved Shorthorn produced 

 by the skilful breeding of England and adapted to the luxurious 

 feed of the West and Southwest ; or the Devon which in England 

 is a large, even, compact animal, often dressing fifteen hundred at 

 four years old, while here it is apt to be small and inelastic ; or 

 the Hereford, which has never succeeded well in America; or 

 certain breeds claiming to be dairy animals, because they certainly 

 are nothing else ; I call your attention to that section of Great 

 Britain whose soil and climate are analogous to our own, and where 

 the development of dairy-stock has received the attention of the 

 most intelligent men of the community. The farmers of Ayrshire 

 and Wigtonshire, find in their immediate neighborhood a market 

 for fresh dairy products, and as there is no profit in feeding cattle 

 for beef in that region, they have applied themselves to the work 

 of obtaining the best dairy cow that can be put together. This is 

 the origin of the breed of cattle called Ayrshire. They are com- 

 paratively modern in their introduction into the list of breeds, not 

 having been mentioned at all by Parkinson sixty years ago, and 

 having been derived, as many assert, from a mixtiire of Shorthorn 

 blood with the native blood of the region. 



These animals axe the model of a dairy cow. Hardy, well shaped, 

 of medium ^ize, and giving an ample return for the amount of food 

 which they consume, they are well adapted to our short pastures, 

 and to our long cold winters. Without presenting any uncommon 

 peculiarity, excepting a remarkable symmetry, they would be 

 selected at once by one of our intelligent dairymen as the pattern 

 of a cow suited to his purposes, I am speaking now of a farmer's 

 cow. In this latitude wo require an animal which can easily 



