ON AGRICULTURE TO CANADA 141 



The last-mentioned breed though registered has not yet joined 

 the National Records. It should also be noted that a very large 

 number of Canadian-bred Jerseys are registered in the American 

 Herd Books and not in the Canadian Records. The reason for this 

 is that the trade in pure-bred Jerseys is largely in the United States, 

 and they have to be registered in the American Herd Books in 

 order to get free entry into that country. Pure-bred Jerseys must, 

 therefore, be much more numerous in Canada than the above figures 

 indicate. 



In the dairy herds. Shorthorns, Ayrshire, Holstein and Jersey 

 crosses are common, and pure-bred specimens of all these breeds 

 are by no means rare. The best milking cow in Canada, when 

 quantity alone is considered, is the Holstein. One of this breed 

 was reported to us as having a milk record up to 2000 gallons, and as 

 having given 10 gallons in one day. Her milk is poor in quality, the 

 average butter fat as shown in the records of the Government Record 

 of Performance being 3'2. Recognising this defect many breeders 

 of Holsteins are now seeking to improve the quality rather than to 

 increase the quantity of their milk. It is inferior for butter-making 

 and unsuitable for the retail milk trade, but at the cheese factories 

 it is made welcome. As cheese is the chief dairy export of Canada, 

 and is likely to increase in importance, the Holstein cow must con- 

 tinue to be in demand. A contrast to the Holstein is found in the 

 French-Canadian, a breed that was new to the whole of our party. 

 Those we saw were handsome black animals with a slight brownish 

 tinge. They were bigger and stronger looking than the Jersey, and 

 they were reported to give a larger yield of milk than either the 

 Jersey or Guernsey, without any reduction in its quality. In fact, 

 they were reported to be nearly as good milkers as the Ayrshires 

 and not less hardy. A competent authority informed us that they 

 were the most profitable butter cows in the country. No cow is 

 eligible for registration in their Herd Books which does not give 

 10 lbs. butter per week, and no bull is entered whose dam gives less 

 than 10 lbs. of butter per week over a certain period. Ayrshires 

 and their crosses are numerously represented in the dairy herds, 

 but the standard of quality is often lower than at home. On the 

 other hand some excellent Ayrshire cattle — many of them imported 

 — were seen at Toronto Exhibition, a show admitted to be the best 

 on the American Continent. The judging of the stock on that 

 occasion is worth more than a passing remark. The Ayrshires were 

 judged on sensible dairy commercial lines, a noticeable feature 

 being the number of points given to the " touching qualities," and 

 to the milky signs of the animals. This resulted in some of the 

 imported stock that had been in the front at some of the leading 

 Scottish shows having to take a back seat. In all the sections it 

 was noticed that great attention was paid by the judges to the 

 development of the milk veins, the size of the milk wells, the 

 elasticity of the milk bag and teats, the width of the ribs, and the 

 softness and looseness of the skin. Strange to say in Scottish show- 

 yards little or no importance so far has been attached to these 

 milky points. 



