134 CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



that if we take the winter feeding as a fair test of the relative propor- 

 tion of food required by each breed, the Kerry cattle gave a larger yield 

 of inilk for the food consumed than either of the other breeds. It was, how- 

 ever, in the quality of the milk that the Kerry cattle especially excelled. 

 It took 9J quarts of milk from Galloway cows to make 1 pound of 

 butter, 10-J- quarts of milk from Ayrshire cows to produce 1 pound of 

 butter, and 8 J quarts of milk from the Kerry to make the like quantity. 

 It would be most interesting to obtain an accurate record of the prod- 

 uce of Jersey and Kerry cows under similar circumstances, but ad- 

 mirers of Kerry cattle could hardly expect their favorites to make more 

 than a decent stand against the Jersey cattle, seeing that the latter 

 have been carefully selected for their dairy qualities for generations, 

 whereas the pure Kerries have only saved themselves from extinction 

 by their extreme hardiness and power of existing on the poorest moun- 

 tain pasture. 



It is claimed for the Kerry that it possesses inherent merits of a very 

 high order, and that these merits are apparent in a large percentage of 

 the individuals of the breed. By carefully selecting good annimals, and 

 breeding from them only, there is no doubt that the breed can be raised 

 to great prominence. It will always be specially suited to light lands, 

 but when farther developed, it will be found to give a fair return for 

 better feeding. 



(10) AYRSHIRE CATTLE. 



History. The Ayrshire breed of cattle, a race of dairy stock of rare 

 uniformity of stamp and character, have long been in existence as a 

 breed distinguished from all others. As their name bears, their origin 

 is traceable to the county of Ayr, in Scotland, but the date of the early 

 development of the breed (early it must have been) is uncertain. Mr. 

 Acton, of Strathaven, in his report on the county of Ayr in 1812, refer- 

 ring to the adage 



Kyle for a man, 



Carrick foij a coo, 



Cunningham for butter and cheese, 



And Galloway for woo, 



says that it is of unknown antiquity, and certainly much older than the 

 Revolution. Kyle, Carrick, and Cunningham correctly describe the feat- 

 ures of the three divisions of Ayrshire. Cunningham, the northern dis- 

 trict, was remarkable for dairy farming, the stock consisting of the kind 

 long familiarly known as the Ayrshire breed. The parish of Dunlop is 

 the principal one in the northern district, and Colonel Fullerton, in his 

 report on the county of Ayr, dated November,, 1793, referring to the 

 Ayrshire cattle, says : 



They were originally long known as the Dunlop breed, either from the ancient fam- 

 ily in Dunlop Parish of that name, or the parish itself, in which they were first brought 

 to perfection, and where still continues a greater attention to milk-cows and dairies 

 than in any other part of Scotland. 



The antiquity of the breed, dating back many centuries, is thus clearly 

 indicated, and not less the fact, with which its history has from the 

 earliest period been associated, that attention in breeding has always 

 in a peculiar degree been directed to those characteristics which indi- 

 cate the qualities of producing milk. In this manner the distinctive 

 characters of the race as being the most noted class of dairy cattle has 

 been established. Attention in the end of last century was directed to 

 the breed through the large number of exhibitions which were formed 

 for the purposes of promoting and improving the breed. They were 



