128 BOARD CfP AGRICULTURE. 



thrown out. With regard to Jersey stock, they are of more 

 recent introduction, but the breeders are coming to the conclu- 

 sion that the same course is the only safe one, because there is 

 no stock where the grades so nearly reseml^le the pure bloods as 

 the Jerseys. You will find that the grade, on the second cross, 

 is as like the dam as possible ; the best breeders cannot dis- 

 tinguisli them. The difficulty has been found to be so great, 

 that an association of breeders of that stock has been formed 

 who are now getting up a herd-book. The rule they lay down 

 is, that you must trace both sire and dam back to the importa- 

 tion. That is the only rule they can lay down ; and when they 

 get there they are pretty safe, because no other animal is bred 

 on the island ; all other animals are excluded by law, and they 

 exclude from the breeding class there any animal inferior as a 

 breeder, whether male or female. 



Mr. Davis has referred to the difference in form and color 

 of the Ayrshires. That difficulty is one hard to surmount, 

 because, although our herd-book has been established, and the 

 rule laid down that the animal shall go back to the importation, 

 in the old country they have no herd-books of Ayrshires, as 

 they have of Jerseys and Shorthorns, and the consequence is, 

 we get animals of an inferior breed, because we have too great 

 a diversity in those imported. But the only way is to make up 

 a herd-book, get the best animals we can, and trust to that as 

 the record of those animals ; because it is too late, when we 

 have here herds of Ayrshires, Shorthorns, Jerseys and Dutch 

 cattle, to undertake to raise up another breed of animals in this 

 country. It would take two hundred years to do it ; and then 

 all these diversities and variations have got to come out, and 

 the result would be, we should have a mongrel breed which we 

 could not rely upon. We have good specimens of animals — 

 there are none better — and if we stick to them, wo shall have 

 good stock. The rule is, to exclude every Shorthorn that can- 

 not be traced back to the herd-books. Next year the same rule 

 will be applied to the Jerseys, and very soon the same rule 

 must be applied to Ayrshires, if the breeders make up a herd- 

 book. 



Mr. Davis. I have accomplished my object, which was sim- 

 ply to get some answer that might go upon our records and be 

 published, and to which we could appeal at our exhibitions. I 



