55 



ham, it is a race distinct from that. Great pains have been taken and 

 great expenses incurred, in order to introduce this fine Ayrshire race 

 of cows into our state, by the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, and 

 by an intelligent and public-spirited friend to agricultural improve- 

 ment in Watertown. I regret that I am not able to obtain such re- 

 turns as would enable me to speak confidently of the merits or de- 

 fects of this stock, so far as these cases go ; — but I am safe in say- 

 ing, that some slight disappointment has been experienced. It is 

 probable, from the celebrity which they had obtained abroad, too 

 much was expected from them here. Extravagant statements have 

 been made respecting their produce in Scotland. One of the advo- 

 cates for this stock, and a man upon whose authority great reliance is 

 placed, has undertaken to calculate precisely the number of quarts of 

 milk given, and the number of pounds of cheese made from what is 

 stated to be in money the average produce of an Ayrshire cow. This 

 is certainly rather a loose way of reaching the result. Entire reli- 

 ance cannot be placed upon it. Tiiis, another distinguished Scotch 

 farmer and dairyman admits ; and says that " those statements are far 

 too high and not well founded." 



He refers to a farmer, on whose exactness he entirely relies ; 

 whom he pronounces a man of superior intelligence and accuracy ; 

 and who has devoted himself to dairy husbandry ; and, farther, whose 

 stock were particularly select, and "who had every inducement to keep 

 them in the highest condition requisite for giving the largest product 

 in milk." The farmer referred to, states, that at the best of the season 

 the average milk from each cow is 9 Scots pints (4^ gallons), and in a 

 year, 1300 Scots pints or 650 gallons. A Scots pint is two quarts. 

 Now, allowing these cows to be in milk 320 days, the average yield 

 of a cow would be 8 J of a quart per day. But if we understand this 

 to be wine measure, which is the usual standard of measurement in 

 England, and compare it wiih our customary admeasurcnient of milk 

 in Massachusetts, which is always beer measure, we must deduct one 

 fifth ; and then the average product of an Ayrshire cow, compared 

 with ours, is 6i qts. per day for 320 days. Such a yield is often 

 surpassed by cows of our native stock. I have before me the case 

 of a cow of native stock among us, who, in 26S days, yielded 2923 

 beer qts. of milk ; and of another, that produced 3975 beer qts. of 

 milk in ten months. I can produce, within my own knowledge, a list 



