1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



433 



AYRSHIRE BULL, "ALBERT." 



We present, above, a portrait of the Ayrshire 

 bull "Albert," recently imported and owned by 

 the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agri- 

 culture. The cut is taken from the new edition 

 of Flint's "Milch Cows and Dairy Farming," just 

 issued by Phillips, Sampson & Co. 



In our January number, page thirty-three, we 

 gave a portrait of an Ayrshire cow, and also 

 copied Mr. Flint's description of the breed and 

 its qualities. We will not here repeat that de- 

 scription, but copy the following remarks with 

 regard to the supei'iority of this breed for dairy 

 purposes : — 



"The Ayrshires have been bred with reference 

 both to quality and quantity of milk, and the 

 grades are usually of a very high order. The 

 best milkers I have ever known, in proportion to 

 their size and food, have been grade Ayshires ; 

 and this is also the experience of many who keep 

 dairies for the manufacture of butter and cheese, 

 as well as for the sale of milk. A cross obtained 

 from an Ayrshire bull of good size and a pure- 

 short-horn cow will produce a stock which it will 

 be hard to beat at the pail, especially if the cow 

 belong to any of the families of short-horns 

 which have been bred with reference to their 

 milking qualities, as some of them have. I have 

 taken great pains to inquire of dairymen as to 

 the breed or grade of their best cows, and what 

 they consider the best cows for milk for their 

 purposes ; and the answer has almost invariably 

 been the Ayrshire and the native. The Ayrshires 

 have by no means been a failure in this country, 

 although I do not think that, as a general thing, 

 we have been so fortunate hitherto as to import 

 the best specimens of them. If any improve- 

 ment has been made in our dairy stock apart 



from that effected by a higher and more liberal 

 course of feeding, it has come, in a great meas- 

 ure, from the Ayrshires ; and, had the facilities 

 been offered to cross our common stock with them 

 to a greater extent, there can be little doubt that 

 the improvement would have been greater and 

 more perceptible. 



It should, however, be said, that in sections 

 where the feed is naturally luxuriant, and adapt- 

 ed to grazing large animals, some families of the 

 short-horns crossed with our natives have pro- 

 duced an equally good stock for cheese and milk 

 dairies." 



For the New England Farmer. 

 HOW TO BUILD UP A HOME. 



Mu. Editou : — Four years ago a shopmate of 

 mine being convinced that his constitution was 

 fast breaking down from the confinement and 

 close application to his business necessary to af- 

 ford him and his family a living, conceived the 

 idea that he would invest the saving of years in 

 the purchase of a small farm, in the hope that 

 the out-door labor appertaining to the profession 

 of a tiller of the soil might be the means of pro- 

 longing his days, as it was evident that a twelve- 

 month more of in-door labor would completely 

 incapacitate him for work of any kind. 



Having but little money at his disposal, he 

 went into the northern part of the State and 

 made purchase of a small farm of tliirty acres, for 

 which he paid six hundred dollars. 



He stocked it with two cows, horse and wag- 

 on, pig, a few hens, and these, with a small 

 amount for the necessary tools to work the place, 

 consumed the entire amount he could call his 

 own. After getting comfortably settled, he turned 

 his attention to the collecting and making of 



