Ayr shires 



69 



States about 1860. They increased very slowly until 

 about 1880, since which time they have become very 

 numerous, particularly in those localities where the 

 sale of milk for market purposes is the chief dairy 

 industry, and in many such localities they are rapidly 

 coming to be almost the only dairy breed kept. 



AyrsMres. Ayrshire cattle, as the name implies, 

 originated in the county of Ayr in southwestern Scot- 

 land. Up to about 1800 there was no particular type 

 of cattle in this locality, but about this time dairying 

 began to be developed, particularly in the parish of 

 Dunlop, and the more enterprising dairymen began to 

 select cows for dairy production from the common 

 stock of the country. It is supposed that the original 

 stock of the county of Ayr had a more or less mixed 

 origin, but the Ayrshire breed took on distinctive 

 characters as early as 1830, and since that time has 

 developed into one of the chief dairy breeds in Scot- 

 land, in Canada and in the United States. 



Ayrshire cattle are of 

 medium size, distinctly 

 larger than the Jersey, and 

 distinctly smaller than the 

 Holstein. They are charac- 



-r ^ terized by extremely straight 



* ^ |^ and smooth forms, with 



round bodies, slim necks 

 and legs, and long, slim, 

 upright horns. They are 

 extremely active in disposition, and alert, and stylish 

 in appearance. These qualities have been developed 



Fig. 8. Ayrshire cow. 



