136 AYRSHIRES. 



cows descended from the Holderness bulls of Lord Marchmont, and their crosses from 

 the 'conjectured' Dutch bulls brought in by Mr. Danlop. From no other race of 

 cattle, either Scotch, English or Irish, could the improved Ayshires get their shape, 

 color and milking qualities combined." 



They are undoubtedly based on the hardy West Highland or Kyloe 

 stock ; that the Alderney or Jersey breed was used in the crosses, would 

 appear from the early descriptions given; and that the "guess" made 

 by Allen may at least approximate the truth, is evidenced by the present 

 appearance of the breed and the gradual change it has made within the 



past 40 or 50 years. 



i 



DESCRIPTION OF MODERN AYRSHIRE. 



Color varies almost as much as in Shorthorns, and is, indeed, very 

 much the same red and white predominating ; but in many individuals 

 black hairs scattered through the red give a blue and white color which 

 we have never seen among pure Shorthorns. Roans are quite common, 

 and roan and white, or patched roans, were formerly very abundant. 

 Later breeders, however, require colors, of whatever shade, to be distinct. 



The general outline of the body is similar to that of all milk breeds 

 being light and narrow in front and gradually deepening toward the 

 hind quarters. The head is narrow and close fleshed in the bull wider, 

 but still showing the more delicate contour peculiar to bulls of milking 

 strains with bright medium sized eyes, and small horns, showing a 

 tendency, among cattle of our acquaintance, to assume more or less ir- 

 regular positions ; ears thin and well coated ; neck fine, without dewlap 

 in the bull naturally arched ; body deepening toward the flank ; ribs, 

 at first flat, arching toward the loin ; loin, hips and rump full and even 

 with the back ; tail dropping squarely ; legs straight with rather thin 

 twist, and brisket close and firm fleshed. The udder of the Ayshire 

 cow is her special peculiarity ; it is large but so broad and vertically 

 flattened as to appear small ; it spreads out well both in front and to 

 rear divisions strongly marked, with small cylindrical teats, wide apart 

 and evenly placed. Her escutcheons are usually of a high order 

 especially the front ovals being well developed, and the milk veins show 

 with considerable prominence. 



In general appearance, the Ayrshire of the present day has lost much 

 of the lean, ungainly outline once supposed to be necessarily co-existent 

 with dairy excellence, and assumed a neat, trim, well rounded, though 

 not beefy, form, which cannot fail to increase its popularity. 



CHARACTERISTICS. 



We regard it as a waste of argument to try to convince the public 

 as many have attempted that the Ayrshires are general-purpose ani- 

 mals ; they are, and have been, a distinctive class of milk stock, differ- 

 ing from all known breeds in the high per cent, of casein or cheesy mat- 



