426 



CATTLE 



America the breed is best represented in Canada, notably in 

 Ontario and Quebec, while in the United States it is chiefly 

 found in the New England and Eastern states, although a few 

 select herds are found in Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, and on the Pacific 

 coast. In the Mississippi Valley west of New York the Ayrshire 

 has never succeeded in securing but a frail foothold in spite of its 

 evident merit. The breed seems to have adapted itself unusually 

 well to the cooler and more hilly sections, being a good grazer 

 and thriving under not the best of conditions. In fact the Ayrshire 

 in Britain has been termed the poor man's cow, being better able 



to thrive on inferior 

 land and feed than 

 any other breed ex- 

 cepting the Kerry. 



Organizations to 

 promote Ayrshire in- 

 terests exist in Scot- 

 land, Canada, and the 

 United States. In 

 1863 a few men or- 

 ganized in Massachu- 

 setts and that year 

 published Volume I 

 of the "Herd Record 

 of the Association of 

 Breeders of Thorough- 

 bred Stock, Ayrshire." In 1868 a second volume was published, 

 and in 1871 Volume III appeared with the title "The American 

 and Canadian Ayrshire Herd Record." In January, 1875, the 

 American Ayrshire Breeders' Association, was formed, which 

 continued this record, publishing Volume IV that year. In 1876 

 Volume V (old series), or Volume I (new series), of the "Ayr- 

 shire Record " came out, since which date a total of thirty-three 

 volumes (new series) has been published up to 1919. In 1874 

 E. L. and Joseph Sturtevant started a herdbook, publishing 

 Volume I in 1875 as the "North American Ayrshire Register," 

 this being for cattle tracing to importation. They published four 

 volumes, the last in 1880. The Ayrshire Importers' and Breeders' 



FIG. 187. Fairfield Mains Jean 6th 33274 (imp.), a very 

 superior type of Ayrshire cow owned by Hugh J. Chis- 

 holm, Port Chester, New York. She has an official 

 record of 14,877 pounds milk and 467 pounds fat in a 

 year. From photograph, by courtesy of Mr. Chisholm 



