SELECTING THE BREED 59 



turage so distributed that grazing animals had to 

 travel long' distances to satisfy their hunger. They 

 excel in their ability to obtain subsistence and thrive 

 on a wide range of scanty pasture and in giving a 

 dairy profit on coarse forage. They are tough and 

 hardy and stand rough weather better than most 

 other breeds. In perfecting the breed the end 

 sought has been a large yield of milk without 

 extravagance of food. The Ayrshire cows are of 

 medium size, averaging about i,ooo pounds at ma- 

 turity. They are short legged, fine boned, very 

 active and of a somewhat nervous temperament. 

 The Scotchman has worked for quality in the udder 

 for a long time, with the result that the full udder 

 of the Ayrshire has come to be regarded as a model 

 in shape. The teats, however, are a little too small 

 for easy milking, but careful breeders remedy this 

 defect. The Ayrshire cow is a large and persistent 

 milker, occupying middle ground between the Hol- 

 steins as large producers and the Jerseys and Guern- 

 seys as rich producers. One noted herd has an un- 

 broken record for nineteen years with an average 

 product of 6,407 pounds a year to the cow. Some 

 individual cows have exceeded 12,000 pounds in one 

 year. Large butter records are not numerous, but 

 some individual cows have reached 500 and even 

 600 pounds. 



The milk of the Ayrshire is not exceptionally rich, 

 but somewhat above the average. Herd records 

 average from 3.5 to 4.0 per cent, of butter fat 

 throughout the year, the average for the breed being 

 about 3.8. Ayrshire milk is very uniform in its 



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