196 MILCH CATTLE THE AYRSHIRE 



Ayton put the milk yield of some cows at 5 or 6 gallons, 

 and after, as " extraordinary returns," 6 to 7 gallons per day 

 for six or eight weeks. Farrall says : " Several, when in 

 their best plight and well fed will yield 4 gallons per day for 

 three months, and produce a total of 800 to 900 gallons per 

 cow. As an average 600 gallons per cow for the year has been 

 mentioned, but on the poorest farms the average return falls 

 far short of this, and cannot be more than 480 to 500 gallons." 



Gilbert Murray gives results of a milking competition held 

 at Ayr in April 1861, as follows: 



Rodden quotes U.S.A. Official Reports of cows of 10,220 

 Ibs. to 10,907 Ibs. live-weight in 1885. Six cows showed an 

 average of 7054 Ibs. each for twelve months. One cow of 

 only 875 Ibs. gave 1174^ Ibs. of milk in thirty days, yielding 

 14 Ibs. 5 oz. of butter weekly. Another cow in seven days 

 gave 464 Ibs. of milk, yielding 19 Ibs. 6 oz. of butter. Another 

 test gave i Ib. of butter for 17 Ibs. of milk. The greatest 

 milk yield per day was 74 Ibs. 



The continental method of co-operative milk and butter 

 testing every fourteen days has been growing in volume 

 and importance. Within eleven years from its initiation, 

 Denmark developed 400 milk record societies. Sweden had 

 also 200 similar institutions in 1905. By means of elimina- 

 tion of the poor-milking strains on the basis of the records 

 made, the Vallakra Society in Southern Sweden, in six years, 

 increased the average yield per cow 31 per cent., or 

 over 5 per cent, anually. The increase in the year's milk 

 was from 670 gallons to 876 gallons, and the percentage of 

 butter-fat from 3.09 to 3.21 per cent. Kuperus, at Marsum, 

 Holland, with a herd of thirty-five cows, made a still greater 

 improvement in eight years : 



Year. Fat p.c. 



1897 3.15 



1898 . . 3.28 



Year. Fat p.c. 



1899 3-39 



1900 . . 346 



Year. Fat p.c. 



1901 . . 347 



1902 .. 344 



Year. Fat p.c. 



1903 - 3-50 



1904 . . 3.52 



