BREEDS OF CATTLE 27 



production of cream and butter. Their milk yield is not 

 sufficient to warrant their use where milk is sold without 

 reg;ird to its fat content. 



23. Ayrshire. The home of this breed is the county, or 

 shire, of Ayr in southwest Scotland. This is a rolling, moder- 

 ate! y fertile region and is not subject to great extremes of 

 temperature. The origin of the breed is somewhat uncertain, 

 but it dates back to the latter part of the eighteenth century. 

 It is generally believed that the breed was the result of cross- 

 ing Holland, Durham, and Channel Island animals upon 

 the native stock. It is at present the leading dairy breed 

 in Scotland and in New Zealand, and is common in parts of 

 England. 



Ayrshire cattle were brought into Canada at an early date, 

 and were brought to Massachusetts as early as 1837. These 

 importations stopped after twenty or thirty years, and were 

 not resumed until about 1900. Until recent years the 

 Ayrshires in America were the descendants of the early 

 importations. The importations of the past few years have 

 met with the greatest favor, and as a result the best Ayr- 

 shires in America are now of the same type as those found 

 in Scotland. At the present time this breed ranks fourth 

 among the dairy breeds in numbers registered in the United 

 States. They are most numerous in the dairy sections of 

 the East and in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Illinois. In portions of 

 Canada they constitute the majority of the cattle in use. 



Many of their characteristics are between the Holstein 

 and Jersey. This is true of the size, yield of milk, yield of 

 fat, disposition of animals, size of calves, and breeding quali- 

 ties. The common color is spotted, red and white, or brown 

 and white in varying proportions. The two colors are dis- 

 tinct and never blend to form a roan as with the Shorthorns. 



