CHAPTER XI 

 AYRSHIRES 



Origin. — In comparison with the Holstein and Brown Swiss, 

 which are virtually the pure descendants of the cattle of an- 

 tiquity, or even with the Guernsey and Jersey which are modi- 

 fications of the more or less mixed foundation stock, the Ayrshire 

 breed of cattle may be said to be " man made." It is the 

 youngest dairy breed of importance. In the Shire or County of 

 Ayr, southwest Scotland, there lived in the early eighteenth 

 century a number of farmers who seemed to have become con- 

 vinced that their stock would admit of improvements, and set 

 about to do it. The animals of 1750 are described as undersized, 

 ill-fed, irregular, and as producing but little milk. They were, 

 however, extremely hardy. They were undoubtedly the domes- 

 ticated representatives of the aboriginal wild cow of that region 

 and related to the West Highlands in that respect. In the 

 mountains of Wales there are still to be found small black, ex- 

 tremely hardy, wild cattle and in England there are still a few 

 specimens of an aboriginal wild white cow. During the latter 

 half of the eighteenth century there was a strong movement 

 towards the improvement of all neat cattle. These cattle were 

 improved largely by crossing in other better developed breeds. 

 Just when certain bloods were introduced is not accurately 

 recorded, but it was evidently the early introduction of the blood 

 of the old Teeswater breed, later known as Durhams, and still 

 later more widely known as Shorthorns, that gave scale to the 

 hardy little native cattle. At this time the Teeswaters were 

 large, rather beefy and not particularly well refined. Their 

 cross with the little, nervy, native stock must have produced a 

 great mixture of characteristics, for soon, it is believed, there was 

 an introduction of breeding cattle from Holland, animals pos- 

 sibly the red and white Hollandish. This was evidently done to 

 improve the milking qualities, but with such a mixture, the breed 

 became too large and lacking in the nimble grazing qualities 

 necessary for the Scottish hillside pastures. At this juncture it 

 is thought that there was introduced the blood of Jersey char- 

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