MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY. 11 



the Ayrshire cows, which died suddenly in July last, a short 

 time after calving. 



The advantageous circumstances under which the selection 

 and purchase were made by Mr. Bickett, and the character and 

 pedigree of the respective animals, having been fully stated in a 

 former report, it may be unnecessary to state them here. 



At the sale of Capt. Randall's Ayrshire stock of cattle at New 

 Bedford, in October last, the Trustees purchased a cow and a 

 three year old heifer of the Ayrshire breed. The cow, " Swin- 

 ley," was imported by Capt. Randall, at a high cost ; and, 

 judging from her pedigree, and the prizes that have been 

 awarded to her in Scotland and in this country, she is undoubt- 

 edly one of the best cows ever imported. The heifer is one of 

 the descendants of "Swinley," and promises to be equal, in all 

 respects, to her mother. 



As a further means of promoting the object which the Trus- 

 tees have in view, early in this year they voted to appropriate 

 the sum of five hundred dollars to the purchase of a number of 

 the best native cows, for the purpose of cross-coupling with the 

 imported bulls. In pursuance of this vote, five native cows have 

 been purchased at an expense of three hundred and ninety dol- 

 lars. The stock owned by the society now, therefore, consists of 

 five cows, and a bull and five calves, of the pure Ayrshire breed, 

 four cows, and a bull and four calves, of the North Devon breed, 

 and five native cows, — in all, twenty-five head ; namely, eleven 

 of the Ayrshire, nine of the North Devon, and five of native 

 breed. The imported stock endure the cold of our winters, and 

 seem in all respects quite as hardy as our native cattle. 



The Ayrshire, as a dairy stock, have fully answered all that 

 was anticipated of them. The desire of the Trustees being to 

 multiply this stock as fast as practicable, no means were taken to 

 force their milk by high feeding, having been kept in the spring 

 and summer months mostly on dry feed, and every measure 

 taken to dry them off as soon as possible. They notwithstand- 

 ing gave a great yield of very rich milk. Flora McDonald 

 yielding twenty-two quarts, and Mirly twenty quarts a day in 

 one week after calving. They are now in calf to the Ayrshire 

 bull. Prince Albert, two of whose calves prove to be fine animals. 



