THE AYRSHIRES- 



bull of the new stock was sold to Mr. Hamilton of Sundrum ; then 

 Mr. Dunlop in Cunningham imported some of the short-horns, and 

 their progeny was long afterwards distinguished by the name of the 

 Dunlop cows. These were the first of the improved breed that 

 reached the bailliery of Cunningham. Mr. Orr, about the year 1*767, 

 brought to Kilmarnock some fine milch cows, of a larger size than any 

 which had been seen there. It was not, however, until about 1780 

 that this improved breed might be said to be duly estimated, or gene- 

 rally established in that part of Ayrshire ; about 1790, Mr. Fulton from 

 Blith carried them first into Carrick, and Mr. Wilson of Kilpatrick 

 first took them to the southern parts of that district. So late as 

 1804 they were introduced on the estate of Penmore, and they are 

 now the established cattle of Ayrshire : they are increasing in the 

 neighboring counties, and have found their way to most parts of 

 Britain. 



The breed has much improved since Mr. Alton described it, and is 

 short in the leg, the neck a little thicker at the shoulder, but finely 

 shaped toward the head ; the horns smaller than those of the High- 

 lander, but clear and smooth, pointing forward, turning upward, 

 and tapering to a point. They are deep in the carcass, but not 

 round and ample, and especially not so in the loins and haunches. 

 Some, however, have suspected, and not without reason, that an at- 

 tention to the shape and beauty, and an attempt to produce fat and 

 sleeky cattle, which may be admired at the show, has a tendency to 

 improve what is only their quality as grazing cattle — and that at the 

 certainty of diminishing their value as milkers. 



The excellency of a dairy cow is estimated by the quantity and 

 the quality of her milk. The quantity yielded by the Ayrshire cow 

 is, considering her size, very great. Five gallons daily, for two or 

 three months after calving, may be considered as not more than an 

 average quantity. Three gallons daily will be given for the next 

 three months, and one gallon and a half during the succeeding four 

 months. This would amount to more than 850 gallons ; but allow- 

 ing for some improductive cows, 600 gallons per year may be the 

 average quantity annually from each cow. 



The disposal of the milk varies according to the situation of the 

 farm and the character of the neigborhood. If it is sold as new 

 milk, the produce of the cow will be £20 per annum. Others 

 at a distance from any considerable town, convert it into butter or 

 cheese. 



The quality of the milk is estimated by the quantity of butter or 

 cheese that it will yield. Three gallons and a half of this milk will 

 yield about a pound and a half of butter. An A3n'shire cow, there- 

 fore, may be reckoned to yield 257 pounds of butter per annum. 



When the calculation is formed, according to the quantity of cheese 

 that is usually produced, the following will be the result : — twenty- 



