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stock in England. They are reputed to yield large quantities 

 of milk and produce large amounts of cheese and butter ; be- 

 sides keeping themselves in good condition and being easily 

 made ready for the butcher. The cows are eminently beauti- 

 ful. In size, however, and symmetry, they are decidedly in- 

 ferior to the improved Durham short horns ; but there is good 

 reason to think them a hardier race of animals. 



From some of the gentlemen to whose care the society's an- 

 imals were committed, I have been unable to obtain as full 

 information as is desirable. Mr. Webster's foreman, in his ab- 

 sence, informed me that the cow was quite superior as a milker. 

 Mr. Brooks says, " My cows give about the same quantity 

 each, but I cannot boast of their doing like many which I 

 have heard of. My Ayrshires do not, I think, give more than 

 thirteen or fourteen quarts at best, and the milk no richer than 

 others with the same feed. It is however a valuable race in 

 our State, as doing well in our common pastures and not run- 

 ning to fat like some. They are very gentle." 



Mr. Phinney, in a recent letter, thus writes : '' I have given 

 the Ayrshire stock a pretty fair trial, considering my limited 

 means, — enough however to satisfy me of their valuable dairy 

 properties, and of their capacity for enduring the cold winters 

 and short keep of the northerly part of the country. In the 

 month of June, 1840, I selected from twenty cows my best 

 native cow, for the purpose of making a trial with my Ayrshire 

 cow as to the quantity of butter each would make. My old 

 pastures, for I had then done little to improve them, afforded 

 but a very short bite of grass. These two cows ran with my 

 other stock, and had no other food than what they could get 

 in these dry pastures. The quantity of milk from the Ayrshire 

 was not greater than that from my native cow; but the Ayr- 

 shire made nine and three quarter pounds of butter in a week, 

 while the native cow in the same time made but eight and a 

 half pounds ; besides, the quality of the butter from the Ayr- 

 shire cow was decidedly better than that from my other cow. 



