130 AYRSHIRE CATTLE. 



The extremely poor character of the cattle at this time 

 was undoubtedly due to some extent to the extremely un- 

 favorable environments; for at this early day, the land was 

 under very poor cropping and the pastures were constantly 

 overstocked. 



The first improvement worthy of notice began about 17GO, 

 when some noblemen and gentlemen in the eastern and 

 southern counties of Scotland brought some improved cattle 

 in from England; and from the color and general character 

 it appears that there were of the Holderness or Teeswater 

 stock. 



John Dunlap of Cunningham was probably the first to in- 

 troduce these improved cattle into Ayrshire, but it is be- 

 lieved that his stock was drawn from Holland. They proved 

 eminently satisfactory as milch cows, but required better care 

 than the native stock; but they were so far ahead of the 

 native cattle that bulls were eagerly sought for to improve 

 the native stock. 



The Earl of Marchmount bought some cattle of the Tees- 

 water breed from the Bishop of Durham in 1750; and some 

 of this stock was afterwards carried from the Earl's estates 

 in Berwickshire to Ayrshire and left a numerous progeny 

 of cross-bred animals. 



Besides the foregoing importations of Dutch and Tees- 

 water stock, there are indefinite accounts of the introduction 

 of some Alderney stock whether Jersey, Guernsey, or Al- 

 derney, we know not and indefinite reports of some Kerry 

 blood. 



The union of these various blood elements with the native 

 stock vastly improved the average stock of cattle; there are 

 well defined accounts of a later introduction of West High- 

 land blood, which is said to have aided materially in giving 

 hardier constitutions, and which also resulted in producing 

 animals with wider, shorter heads, finer bone, more hair, 

 and with more of a tendency to fatten. The precise amount 

 of Highland blood so introduced is unknown. 



The selection of the choicest animals for breeding pur- 

 poses, in connection with the liberal admixture of foreign 

 blood had resulted in changing the character of the stock 

 so materially that by 1810 the Ayrshire stock was recognized 

 as of superior merit as dairy animals; and improvement since 

 that time has been accomplished wholly by selection of the 



