6S-2 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



AYRSHIHE CATTLE. 



In the Genesee Farmer^ last month, we alluded 

 to tlie fact that at the late Fair of the Provincial 

 Agricultural Association of Canada West there 

 were more entries of Ayrshire cattle than any 

 other breed. 



This fact, we admit, is not in itself evidence that 

 the breed is becoming more popular among the 

 genersility of farmers. It may indicate nothing 

 more than that the Ayrshire breeders are a little 

 more enterprizing tlian the Shorthorn, Hereford, 

 Galloway and Devon breeders. The location of 

 tbteFair, too, at Kingston, in a district better suited, 

 we presume, to dairying than to grain-growing, 

 may liave something to do with it. But be this as 

 it may, tiiere can be no doubt of the fact that the 

 Ayrsiiires are attracting much attention in Canada. 



The Ayrshires are celebrated for their milking 

 qualities — not for the quality of tlie milk but for 

 the quantity. "We suppose it will be admitted 

 that, for the food consumed, they give more milk 

 than any other breed. They have been bred for 

 many years with special reference to their lailk- 

 producing qualities— just as the Shorthorn and 

 Hereford have been bred so as to develop in the 

 higtit'St degree their beef-producing qualities. 



The Ayrshires have always been great favorites 

 of ours. When a boy we always preferred to milk 

 the Ayrshire co,w8. They .'' gave down " their milk 

 easily, and it was not difficult to make the froth 

 rise U|) above the top of the pail ! — and that is at 

 once evidence of a good cow and a rapid milker. 

 "We had an A\ rshire cow that for several years pro- 

 dured twin calves, and made tlicm fat for the 

 butcher in five or six weeks. 



Did \vt live oil a dairy farm we should keep 

 Ayrshire'^. W« are satistied that on soils of a poor 

 an-i iniili :in m i.M'it v t hero is no lireed that will con- 

 Ti -I rajiidly. But 



9t,ili ir i> a qii' •'M.iii wiKilur iin.*y are, on the whole, 

 the most ]ir<itit:v',ile cows to keep. It niiy well l>e 

 tfiat cow3'tLat' will produce a moderate amount 



of milk, and fatten up easily when it is desired to 

 dispose of them, are more profitable. Some of tho 

 dairy farmers in this State inform us th.nt they 

 find it better, on this account, to cross the native 

 cows with Shorthorn bulls, rather than with Ayr- 

 shires. They get a cow that gives a fair quantity 

 of rich milk, and one that will fatten readily when 

 *'o longer fit for the dairy. We should be glad to 

 hear from some of our experienced correspondents 

 on this point. 



At the head of this article we give a cut of an 

 Ayrshire bull, which Stevens, in his Booh of thg\^ 

 Farm, pronounces the " best Ayrshire bull he ever 

 saw." He was a remarkably fine handler, had a 

 fine head and very clean limbs. 



EHXING FOWLS FOE TABLE USE. 



A LATE number of the London Poultry Chronicle 

 has an article on this subject, from which we ex- 

 tract the following : 



" If the fowls are to be eaten on Thursd.iy, let 

 them be caught on Monday evening, and then shut 

 up in a basket, absolutely without food or water 

 until the next morning. Being quite empty, they 

 must be killed, not by cutting the throat, but hy 

 breaking their necks. Take hold of the ti|)s of 

 the end or fliglit-feathers of the wings, and the 

 lower part of tlie thighs and knees with the left 

 hand. Take hold of the head of tlie fowl in the 

 right hand, turn it (the head) upward in the hand, 

 but simultaneously pull up with tlie left hand, and 

 press down with the right. Izaak W^altox said, 

 'Im|)ale the frog as it you loved liim ;' and Tal- 

 leyrand said, 'No zeal in anything — it is always 

 getting into trouble.' No zeul, no strength, and 

 very little elFort is required. Press downward 

 with the right hand until there is a trifling jerk — 

 it is the dislocation of the neck. Death ensues in 

 a few minutes. If there is any doubt it can be 

 easily solved by feeling the back ot the bird's ht^ad — 

 there will be found an ' ugly gap ' between the head 

 and the neck. When a fowl is bled to death it is 

 very Avliite, but is often dry; when it is killed by 

 dislocation of the neck it is juicy. As soon, as the 

 bird is dead — indeed I should say directly it is 

 dead — it should be picked. The large fei.tliers, 

 tlie wings and tail, sliould be pulled first. The 

 reason wliy they should be picked is that the fowl 

 then gets cold ; it. is tor the same cause essential 

 that they should be killed early in the morninti or 

 in the evening; the latter is preferable. Even in 

 hot wealiier the fowl is spoiled nine tin)e3 out of 

 ten by the fermentation ot the food, or the decom- 

 position of the water that was in the body at the 

 time of death. The bird fasted and killed as we 

 have deserihed may be drawn and trussed for the 

 sjiit some hours before it is wanted, and spite of 

 hot weatiier it will be sweet, tender and juicy." 



Ai'i'LK PuMiOE^ deposited in the hog-yard in the 

 autumn, even when tresh from the mill, will come 



out eood innnn'-o td-^ un^-'O"''!"'' f^'riniD. 



