THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY. 195 



The following is a copy of the statement made relative to the 

 Ayrshire cow "Mirley," by Mr. John Young, of whom she was 

 purchased : 



" Kilmaurs, Mains, July 19, 1845. 



"Sold Mr. Alexander Bickett an Ayrshire cow, Mirley. She is 

 spotted or speckled, of a red and white color, with a white fore- 

 head. She is an excellent milker, and has given twenty-nine lbs. 

 of milk at one milking. I would not have sold her if it had not 

 been to favor my friend, Mr. Bickett, and it is only because I 

 have two more of the same family, that I would sell her for any 

 price, as I do not wish to run out of the breed, for they are all 

 deep [milkers], and their bodies and udders are generally well 

 formed. 



" Mirley was one of three cows which got the first prize for 

 the best three cows shown at the Ayrshire Cattle Show, held at 

 Kilmarnock, in 1842. She got the third prize at the Androssan 

 Society's Show, held at Irvine, in 1844, but she would have taken 

 the first prize if she had been calved, as the preference is given 

 by that Society to a cow in milk, even if she is inferior to one 

 that is ' back in the calving.' The first prize was given to a 

 cow of the same stock. 



"She got the first prize for best cow at the Dundonald Cattle 

 Show in 1844. (She was then calved). She was also one of 

 two which took the first prize at Kilbride, in Renfrewshire, for 

 the best pair of cows. Kilbride is open to all Britain and 

 Ireland. Her pedigree on the mother's side is as follows ; 

 Grand dam bred by Mr. Gray of Munfield, near Kilmaurs. I 

 bought htr in 1825, when two years old,and kept her over four- 

 teen years, and sold her to go into a Glasgow dairy. She was 

 an excellent milker, and her milk was of a good quality. Her 

 bod}>- and udder were well formed. 



" Dam bred by me. She was sired by ' Bruce,' who gjt first 

 sweepstake prizes for aged bulls at Dundonald. and a second 

 prize for aged bulls at Cragie ; her dairy qualities were very 

 superior. Mirley was sired by Waterloo, who got the second 

 prize for aged bulls at Grougar, in 1842. He served my cows 

 seven vears. 



