DAIRY FARMING. 
455 
season's produce. The Ayrshire is just constituted to meet 
this difficulty, her compact and tidy frame being easily kept 
up ; her coat is always shiny and healthy looking, unless 
positively starved outright, and the close of the season inva- 
riably finds her in blooming condition. For the combined 
dairy no cross need be desired better than that between a 
Shorthorn bull and Ayrshire cow, both animals being pure 
specimens of the breed which they represent. The stock 
thus bred are exceedingly valuable for every purpose, as they 
inherit the large milking capability of the one parent and the 
fattening properties of the other. In every case where the 
object of the farmer is two-fold, the herd should be suffi- 
ciently well bred to permit of the way-going animals to be 
fattened and cleared off at the age of two years, so that the 
permanent stock of milkers may be interfered with as little as 
possible, and a full bite preserved for them. The very fact of 
the breeder having it in his power to do this by the use of 
first-class male animals, ought to be one of the strongest 
inducements to his keeping only the best, and utterly 
ignoring those which are cross-bred. Pure breeding we thus 
find tends largely to economy of food, by conducing to early 
maturity ; and materially quickens the return of capital. A 
heifer or bullock, the sire of which was pure-bred, will in 
general bring as much money at the age of tw-o years as could 
be obtained for it a year later had both parents been cross- 
bred. If it suits to clear off the young spare stock only in 
store condition, the superiority is quite as marked, propor- 
tionately large prices being received according to quality, 
and, moreover, they are always saleable. On dairy farms, 
where the cattle are carefully bred, with a view more espe- 
cially to the profitable production of milk, and where it is not 
convenient to feed the spare stock, very good results may be 
obtained by rearing the heifer calves only, retaining them on 
the farm until they have milked two seasons, and then dis- 
posing of them as they approach their third calving time. 
Being now in their very prime they can easily be sold at 
remunerative prices, well repaying their breeder for his skill 
and trouble. And if the possession of merely young animals 
gives a little more trouble, and scarcely perhaps such a large 
annual return, yet the high price received on the average for 
the off-going stock amply makes up for the difference. When 
this mode is followed there are never any aged cows to weed 
out, which must be sold for a few pounds, the loss in value 
making a serious inroad on the animals' produce for the pre- 
vious season. Being successful in obtaining big prices 
affords much encouragement to rear as many calves as 
