MILCH COWS. 311 



fellow-citizen and associate, a vice-president of tliis society, 

 Stephen Williams, Esq., of Northboro', gave us tlie blood of the 

 Durham race in " Denton " — undoubtedly the noblest specimen 

 of the improved short-horns which New England has ever seen. 

 Simultaneously, or soon after, we had, as means of further im- 

 provement, the use of " Coelebs " and '' Holderness," by the 

 importations of Mr. Coolidgc and Mr. Parsons, respectively ; — 

 the " Cream Pot " stock, carefully and judiciously bred by Col. 

 Jaques ; and more recently, through the munificence of Mr. 

 Gushing, of Watertown, the Ayrshire blood in a fine bull pre- 

 sented by him to this Society ; and still later, and now, both 

 Ayrshire and the beautiful Devons, by the bounty of the Trus- 

 tees of the Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of Agri- 

 culture. With such instrumentalities, and with skill and care 

 in breeding, our exhibitions should be rich in animals most 

 valuable in their adaptation to all the purposes of husbandry. 

 With the Devons upon our native stock, for the yoke ; the 

 improved Durhams, in the blood of "Denton," for the stall, and 

 the Ayrshires for the dairy, there can be no obstacle to the 

 production of the finest stock of any desirable variety; and 

 perhaps even, through judicious crossing, the characteristic 

 qualities of all the races may, to a considerable extent, be found 

 united. 



That the Ayrshire cow, upon the whole, is the best contribu- 

 tor to the milking-pail, seems now to be generally conceded by 

 English breeders ; and it may not be too much to assume, that 

 the result of their introduction into this country abundantly 

 justifies that preference. The improved short-horns, as contra- 

 distinguished from the Ayrshire, for a long time contested the 

 palm ; and of this race, indeed, the most remarkable instances 

 of milking and butter producing qualities are well authenticat- 

 ed. In a late number of the Journal of the Eoyal Agricultural 

 Society of England it is stated, that Mr. Ferguson, an English 

 breeder, in an account given by him of a high bred cow, which 

 he purchased in 1819, has thus written: — "As to milk and but- 

 ter, the quantity of each was so extraordinary, that I should 

 say it was quite incredible, had I not myself been an eye-wit- 

 ness of it. It was tested in two ways, wherein there could be 

 no doubt. For many weeks she gave thirteen quarts at one 



