110 THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY 



through. The sum of $2,000 was voted for the purpose. 

 The trustees employed as the agent of the society, Alexan- 

 der Bickett of Andover, a Scotchman by birth, and an ex- 

 pert in cattle and cattle breeding. He visited the regions 

 in Great Britain where Ayrshire and North Devon stock 

 abound, and made judicious selections, as is evinced by a 

 letter addressed to him by Henry Codman, one of the com- 

 mittee of importation and treasurer of the society, in ac- 

 knowledgment of the fidelity of his service. The two 

 herds, upon arrival, were sent to the farm, in Lexington, 

 owned by Elias Phinney, the recording secretary of the so- 

 ciety. There they were maintained during four years (or 

 until the decease of Mr. Phinney) as the property of the 

 society, and were managed according to the strictness of 

 breeders' rules, the surplus being sold each year to persons 

 living within the state. In 1849 or 1850 those which had 

 not been disposed of were divided in a manner designed to 

 preserve the purity of each breed. The principal part of 

 the Ayrshires were bought by Mr. George W. Lyman, then 

 a trustee and later the president of the society, and in his 

 possession they became a stock of great celebrity. Others 

 of the collection were distributed by gift among the county 

 societies of the State ; that is, one pair of Ayrshires, or one 

 pair of Devons, to a society, thus enabling each " so to dis- 

 pose of the animals as to keep the breed unmixed, and give 

 character to the stock of the respective counties." 



The file of vouchers, and the letters written by the soci- 

 ety's agent while abroad, permit the progress of the enter- 

 prise, from its inception to the arrival at the port of Boston, 

 to be traced in detail. The Ayrshire bull purchased was 

 known in the Scotch herd book as " Prince Albert." It 

 had been bred by Andrew McGregor of Doonholm, but at 

 the date of purchase was owned by another cattle breeder. 

 The four Ayrshire cows were bought of Mr. McGregor, who 

 appended to his bill of sale, at the request of the agent, his 

 opinion of the bull which had already been purchased by 

 the agent. It was that Prince Albert was " one of the best 



