THE AYRSHIRE 



413 



white became fashionable, while from 1785 to 1805 brown-and- 

 white mottled cattle were much preferred ; later, in 1 8 1 o, red 

 and white was a common color. These latter colors of brown, 

 red, and white have been carried down to the present time. Thus 

 it is apparent that the Ayrshire as a breed is evolved from a variety 

 of blood, mainly from types associated with larger milking capacity. 



The early improv- 

 ers of the Ayrshire 

 were not notably dis- 

 tinguished over the 

 general run of breeders 

 who seek to improve 

 local cattle. It was 

 early evident that the 

 people laid importance 

 on milk production. 

 Forsythe, a Scotch- 

 man, writes in 1805 of 

 cows yielding from 24 

 to 30 quarts of milk 

 daily; and in 1829 

 William Harley states 

 that he had cows that 

 occasionally gave 2 5 



FIG. 179. Baron's Best of Bargenock 12858 (imp.), 



an Ayrshire bull in Highland Farm herd, Bryn Mawr, 



Pennsylvania. From photograph by the author 



to 30 quarts in one day 

 and even produced 40 

 quarts in this time. In 



1836 the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland offered 

 a large premium to be competed for by the breed. In 1848, in a 

 prize essay, 1 Keary states that Ayrshires are of two distinct sorts : 

 the native breed, a small, light-boned animal, and the Dunlop 

 Ayrshire (a cross between the native breed and the Holderness), 

 which is much larger. The small breed is considered of the best 

 quality. There are herds of Dunlop Ayrshires, as well as of the 

 native breed, in many parts of the kingdom, esteemed for their 

 excellent milking qualities. By 1850 Ayrshires were the prevail- 

 ing stock in Ayr and also in Renfrew and Lanark counties. In 



1 Journal Royal Agricultural Society of England, Vol IX, p. 442. 



