DAIRY COWS. 223 



spotted in color, being red and white as a rule, though sometimes 

 nearly red or nearly white. They are hardy and healthy, endur- 

 ing changes of heat and cold with little discomfort, and quickly 

 adapt themselves to surrounding conditions. They perhaps 

 show to the best advantage where the food-supply is limited 

 and they are compelled to hunt for a full supply. 



It is claimed for the cows of this breed that they will give the 

 largest return of dairy product for food consumed of any of the dairy 

 breeds. There has never been much said or done by the owners 

 of A}Tshires to bring their merits to the attention of the public. 

 They are a popular cow for the milkman, because they are econom- 

 ical producers and give milk of good quality that satisfies the trade. 



High-grade Ayrshire cows always command the highest fancy 

 price in Brighton, to go into the stables of milk producers. It 

 is said by the milk inspectors of Boston that they have no trouble 

 with the milk from Ayrshire herds, it being up to the 13 per cent 

 total solids required by Massachusetts law. 



The average yield of Ayrshire cows is a little over 6000 lbs. 

 of milk in a year, on ordinary dairy food and care, but there 

 are a large number of individual cows with authenticated records 

 all the way from 7000 lbs. to over 12,000 lbs. of milk in a year. 



It is only within a very few years that the Ayrshire Breeders' 

 Association instituted a system of ofhcial tests, and only a few 

 of the breeders have entered their herds, consequently we have 

 the records of a comparatively small number of cows, but enough 

 to show that the Ayrshire cow is by nature a wonderful dairv 

 cow both in milk and butter production, and that it would be an 

 easy matter to produce families of phenomenal cows adapted to 

 the production of either butter or milk. 



The association has confined itself chiefly to the yearlv tests, 

 believing that it is the long period that shows the staying quality 

 of the breed and the true value of a dairy cow. 



We have in the ordinary work of the dairy found a number of 

 cows that gave from fourteen to nineteen pounds of butter in 

 seven days, and from sixty to nearly too pounds in the month. 



We have compiled from the oflicial files of the association tests 

 the following yields from individual cows: 



Milk. — 78 cows gave over 8000 lbs. of milk in a year; 51 cows 

 gave over 8500 lbs. of milk in a year; 43 cows gave over gooo lbs. " 

 of milk in a yearj 17 cows gave over 9500 ^bs. of milk in a year; 



