212 



CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



has few equals. The origin of this breed is difficult to trace ; no par- 

 ticular men seem to have stood out conspicuous froiL their fellows as 

 breeders or improvers. The chief excellence of the breed is supposed 

 to have arisen from the peculiar circumstances of climate, soil, and sit- 

 uation of several of the western counties of Scotland. The farmers in 

 these districts noted the points that indicated good milkers, and, as a 

 consequence, the best milking cows were put to good bulls, and in this 

 way a very superior dairy breed has been established in the west of 

 Scotland, and spread rapidly over most other parts of the country. No 

 breed of cattle in Scotland will produce an equal quantity of milk, but- 

 ter, and cheese to the Ayrshire. Many cows, when in their best con- 

 dition and well fed, will yield 3 gallons per day for three months, and 

 produce a total of from 500 to 700 gallons per cow per year ; 600 gallons 

 per cow for the year has been considered an average on good farms. 

 The proportion of milk to butter and cheese, the standard recognized 

 in Ayrshire, is about (in imperial British gallons) 2-J gallons of milk to 

 1 pound of butter, and I gallon of milk to 1 pound of cheese. The aver- 

 age weight of a gallon of milk is 10 pounds 8 ounces, and the following 

 figures show the result of a milking competition at Ayr on the 26th 

 and 27th days of April, 1861 : 



In the above competition the greatest yield at a single milking was 

 rather over 3 gallons, which produced at the rate of 15 pounds of butter 

 per week. 



Being a competition, and the cows highly fed, the returns afford no 

 fair criterion of the ordinary milking capacity of an Ayrshire cow. Two 

 distinct classes of cows might be selected from among the Ayrshires 

 butter and cheese makers. Many cows, however, combine both the 

 butter and cheese making faculties in a remarkable degree. Compared 

 with the Polled Angus and Shorthorn, the Ayrshire is a small breed, 

 but it is said that when crossed with a bull of either of the two breeds 

 mentioned, the produce is an animal admirably adapted for maturing 

 early and fattening rapidly. The color of Ayrshires is generally of red 

 and white in spots ; sometimes white and black, or red or brown, and 

 the horns are tine and twisted upwards. The face long, with a lively 

 yet docile expression. 



The figure of the body, enlarging from the fore to the hind quarters; 

 broad across the loins ; the back straight ; the tail fine, long, and bushy 

 at the extremity ; the udder white and capacious, coming well forward 

 on the belly j the teats of middle size, set equally and wide apart from 

 each other ; milk veins prominent and fully developed. 



THE WEST HIGHLANDS. 



This hardy breed of cattle may be stated to ocuupy as its home tho 

 whole of the West tmd Middle Highlands of Scotland and the Western 

 Islands. No cattle are possessed of more distinctive and strongly 



