TWELFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 561 



AYBSHIBES. 



There were only two herds of Ayrshires but they made a very attractive 

 high-class show. J. F. Converse & Co. of New York and Adam Seitz of 

 Wisconsin were the exhibitors who brought this hardy active beautiful 

 race of milk-producers to the attention of the Iowa fair-goers. All who 

 saw them were favorably impressed. Prof. G. P. Grout judged the exhibit. 

 In no case could he go far wrong' although he paid less attention to 

 breed type than may have been best. Few judges would sanction his 

 preference for the New York bull over the more impressively fronted, 

 larger, deeper Wisconsin bull. In the aged cow class Sunnyside Lassie 

 came forward with a splendid big soft udder, and her sweet front, long 

 rib and long level rump also claimed recognition. Somehow the judge 

 showed a fancy for the neat little calves, and although he finally awarded 

 the male championship to the senior bull, he could not get away from 

 the beautiful little heifer. She ishows great promise of development but 

 some of the older females have that promise fulfilled. 



BROWN SWISS, 



Three herds filled the Brown Swiss classes handily with cattle that re- 

 flected credit on the dairy tendencies of the breed. Iowa was represented 

 by the herd of S. B. Hefty. Allynhurst Farm and H. W. Ayers, both of 

 Wisconsin, furnished hot competition and captured the most coveted rib- 

 bons. An accident at the opening of the fair cast a shadow over the 

 Brown Swiss camp. Mr. Ayers was severely gored by his grand champion 

 bull Zell; however, by the time of the judging on Thursday he was able 

 to be in the ring on a stretcher to witness the success of his cattle. E. S. 

 Estell, Waterloo, la., tied the ribbons with due consideration for dairy 

 qualities. The senior and grand champion bull Zell is a masculine vigoi'- 

 ous nervous fellow, deep and wide at the chest, neat at the back and 

 stamped all over with quality. The bull calf which got the junior purple 

 ribbon is a low-set sturdy chap. The senior and grand champion cow 

 Myone Baby has a very capacious middle and large udder of excellent 

 texture. 



MILK TEST. 



A three-day milk test was conducted upon the fair grounds with fifteen 

 cows started. The prize was won by a Holstein cow giving 158.12 pounds 

 of milk, yielding 4.48 pounds of butter-fat in the three days. 



AMONG THE SHEEP. 



An increase of approximately 200 in the number of sheep exhibited 

 over those shown last year filled the regular sheep barns before the sheep 

 were all sheltered. Overflow tents held the rest. While this increase in 

 the numbers on the grounds was largely due to an increase in the number 

 of sale sheep, thus making the addition little felt within the show-ring, 

 it none the less serves to prove that sheep husbandry is slowly, rather 

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