16 EFFECT OF INJUDICIOUS CROSSING. 



counties, by degrees, till at present the whole region, 

 comprising the counties of Ayr, Renfrew, Lanark, Dum- 

 barton, and Stirling, and more than a fourth part of the 

 whole population of Scotland, a large proportion of 

 which is engaged in manufactures and commercial or 

 mechanical pursuits, furnishing a ready market for milk 

 and butter, is almost exclusively stocked with Ayrshires. 



The cross with larger cattle and the natives of Ayr- 

 shire produced, for many years, an ugly-looking beast, 

 and the farmers were long in finding out that they had 

 violated one of the plain principles of breeding in 

 coupling a large and small breed so indiscriminately 

 together, especially in the use of bulls proportionately 

 larger than the cows to which they were put. They 

 did not then understand that no crosses could be made 

 in that way to increase the size of a race, without a 

 corresponding increase in the feed ; and many very 

 ill-shaped animals were the consequence of ignorance 

 of a natural law. They made large bones, but they 

 were never strong and vigorous in proportion to their 

 size. Trying to keep large animals on poor pasture 

 produced the same effect. The results of first crosses 

 were therefore very unsatisfactory ; but gradually bet- 

 ter feeding and a reduction in size came to their aid, 

 while in the course of years more enlightened views of 

 farming led to higher cultivation, and consequently to 

 higher and better care and attention to stock. The 

 effect of crosses with the larger Teeswater or short- 

 horn was not so disastrous in Ayrshire as in some of 

 the mountain breeds, whose feed was far less, while 

 their exposure on high and short pastures was greater. 



The climate of Ayrshire is moist and mild, and the 

 soil rich, clayey, and well adapted to pasturage, but 

 difficult to till. The cattle are naturally hardy and 

 active, and capable of enduring severe winters, and 



