1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
7i9 
SOMETHING AB0U7 AYRSHIRES. 
We have a dairy about one mile from 
Catawlssa, Pa. We have mostly Jersey 
and Holstein cattle. On reading your ac¬ 
count of the Pan-American dairy test I 
notice that the Ayshlres stand well In 
both butter test and also in milk. Would 
you advise me to get a couple of those 
cows in my herd? Would any of the read¬ 
ers of The R. N.-Y. give me some infor¬ 
mation on the subject? Where could I get 
some young stock? Are they good milk¬ 
ers? There are no cattle of the Ayrshire 
breed in this section. w. j. b. 
In southwestern Scotland is a county 
of much prominence known as Ayr¬ 
shire, and here this breed of cattle has 
flourished for a century or more. Its 
origin is more or less obscure, but prob¬ 
ably Short-horn and Dutch cattle as¬ 
sisted in the development and improve¬ 
ment. In Ayrshire to-day this is about 
the only breed, and here one sees many 
magnificent specimens. It has long 
been the opinion of the writer that the 
Ayrshire is one of the most uniform, 
well-developed dairy breeds of cattle, 
and this is mainly due to the persistent 
and consistent policy of the Scotch to 
produce a medium-sized type with the 
desirable points weu developed. A 
standard weight for the Ayrshire cow of 
mature form in Great Britain and the 
United States and Canada is 1,#00 
pounds, while the males range from 
1,200 to 1,500 pounds or larger. The 
colors are brown and white, usually 
more or less mixed in varying degrees. 
In Canada white I judge to be the most 
fashionable color, while in the United 
States the more sober brown with less 
white is most usual. In Scotland brown 
is also very prevalent, generally speak¬ 
ing, however, with some white. 
The best type of Ayrshire is a broad- 
backed, deep-bodied, short-legged sort, 
with an udder of superior shape, being 
well extended in front, and carried up 
behind with a good curve. According to 
my observation no breed in America to¬ 
day will show more high-class udders, 
if as many, as will the Ayrshire. This 
perhaps is due to the fact that the breed 
is not so indiscriminately bred as are 
some breeds of wide distribution. The 
Ayrshire in America is usually kept in 
Canada and the northeastern United 
States, there being but few in the West. 
It is a breed of hardy character, and 
seems well suited to the more rugged 
portions of our country. This not a 
general-purpose breed, but is rather es¬ 
sentially a dairy type, capable of con¬ 
siderable milk production. A record of 
7,000 pounds of milk a year is quite com¬ 
mon, and many of this breed have pro¬ 
duced 9,000 and 10,000 pounds. Princess 
Aldine produced 13,400 pounds, which is 
the largest Ayrshire milk record to my 
knowledge. In 1888, Mr, J. D. W. 
French published a catalogue of his 
herd, in which he gave some records, 
covering 14 years. During the year 1885 
he milked 20 cows, and their average 
yield was 6,037 pounds. The milk of 
this breed is of average richness, con¬ 
taining about 3% to four per cent of fat. 
The Vermont Experiment Station has 
for years kept a dairy herd, in which 
Ayrshires have a prominent place, and 
in their 1897-98 report, they make the 
following statement: “As in past years, 
the Ayrshires rank high in yield and in 
economy of production of milk, and 
relatively low in economy of production 
of butter.” In the Model Dairy at the 
Pan-American Exposition, for the week 
ending September 24, the total milk 
yield for the different Ayrshire cows 
was in round numbers, 245, 204, 189, 248, 
and 216 pounds, and the fat per cent in 
the milk averaged four per cent; 3.5, 
4.2, 3.85 and four for the yields given 
above, in the order given. The Short¬ 
horns in the test gave about 25 pounds 
less than the Ayrshires, while the total 
butter fat per cent was almost identical 
in amount. For general dairy purposes 
the breed ranks high, and will undoubt¬ 
edly give back satisfactory returns for 
its keep and care. Its haruiness, eaay- 
keeping qualities and ability to produce 
milk abundantly commend it to dairy¬ 
men. So far as I know, it has never 
been ranked as a general-purpose breed, 
but the cows would be more salable as 
a rule to the butcher than would Jer¬ 
seys, being of somewhat more scale and 
rather capable of more flesh production. 
Ayrshire veal should also sell at a fair 
price. Milk of this breed is of high, 
enough grade to command a place in 
the city milk trade. 
The person soliciting information on 
this subject, further says: “Would you 
advise me to get a couple of these cattle 
in my herd.” The writer believes in 
stability of purpose. The proposition 
now is, will it be advisable to add Ayr¬ 
shire blood to a herd at present contain¬ 
ing both Jersey and Holstein individ¬ 
uals? The two latter breeds represent 
rather extremes in dairy type. The 
Ayrshire is a sort of middle ground. 
Perhaps this would be a good breed to 
compromise on. Yet the main thing to 
be sought for, is profitable production. 
I have no hesitation in saying that 1 
believe that good specimens of either 
one of these breeds will pay a satisfac¬ 
tory profit on the investment with good 
management. An Ayrshire bull on Jer¬ 
sey cows will add somewhat to the Jer¬ 
sey size, and perhaps add to the milk 
yield, but the butter per cent in the 
milk would no doubt be lessened. Ayr¬ 
shires on Holsteins would be likely to 
reduce the milk yield considerably, add 
no doubt to the quality of the milk, and 
give a smaller type of cattle. Really the 
wisest plan in my judgment, would be 
to stick to one breed and have uniform¬ 
ity in type and character and results. 
This will pay best in the end, no matter 
which breed is selected. There is an 
American Ayrshire Breeders’ Associa¬ 
tion, and a letter to C. M. Winslow, the 
secretary, at Brandon, Vt., will no doubt 
secure further Ayrshire literature. The 
person who requested this communica¬ 
tion lives in Pennsylvania, and asks 
whether “there are no cattle of the Ayr¬ 
shire breed in this section.” There are 
Ayrshire breeders in Pennsylvania, and 
if a letter is sent Mr. Winslow on this 
subject, he will be likely to forward 
some addresses of Pennsylvania breed¬ 
ers. C. 8. PLTTMB. 
VALUE OF A TON OF SILAGE. 
Last year in The R. N.-Y. for Decem¬ 
ber 8 was an article on Value of Hay 
and Silage, by G. E. Scott, which, if not 
erroneous in some of its statements, is 
certainly very ambiguous and mislead¬ 
ing. The following analysis of feed 
stuffs was given: 
Pro- Carbo- 
tein. hydrates. Fat. 
Corn silage . 1.7 11.1 .8 
Timothy hay . 6.9 45.0 2.6 
Clover hay .ll.B 33.1 3.3 
Green clover .4.4 13.5 1.1 
Mr. Scott has taken the percentage of 
protein, carbohydrates and fat from the 
chemist’s analysis, but as Prof. Henry 
says: “The value of gold ore is not rated 
by the total amount of gold contained, 
but rather by that portion which can be 
recovered by practical processes; so 
with our feeds, only those portions 
which can be digested and utilized by 
the animal are really valuable.” So if 
Mr. Scott will compare corn silage and 
hay on the basis of the digestible pro¬ 
tein they contain he will arrive at more 
definite results. The percentage of 
digestible nutrients in the feed stuffs 
named is as follows: 
Pro- Carbo- 
Com silage _ 
Timothy hay ... 
teln. 
hydrates. 
Fat. 
.1.2 
U.8 
.6 
.3.0 
43.9 
1.2 
Clover hay . 
. 6.5 
34.9 
1.6 
Green clover .... 
.2.9 
14.1 
.7 
As the carbohydrates (fat makers) 
are always in excess of our needs in all 
home-grown feed stuffs, it follows that 
the amount of protein in any given feed 
does determine its comparative value 
for feeding dairy cows. In order to de¬ 
termine the money value of corn silage 
as compared with clover hay when the 
price of hay is given it is only neces¬ 
sary to put the proposition in the form 
of an equation in ratio and proportion 
as follows: 6.6: |10:: 1.2: 13.38^. That 
is, the percentage of protein in clover 
hay is to the price to clover hay as the 
percentage of pi*otein in corn silage is to 
the required price. Now the product of 
the means is equal to the product of tne 
extremes, and in order to ascertain one 
term of the equation when the other 
three are given, we multiply the means 
together and divide the product by the 
other extreme, or vice versa, as the case 
may be. By applying this rule we find 
that if clover hay is worth $10 per ton 
corn silage is worth $3.38^^ per ton on 
the basis of the digestible protein con¬ 
tained in each. By making an equation 
with Timothy hay in the same manner 
we have the fonowing: Three per cent 
protein in Timothy is to its price, $10, 
as 1.2 per cent protein in silage is to $4. 
Assuming that Timothy hay is worth 
the same price per ton, we find that 
corn silage has a comparative value of 
$4. With us the market price of clover 
hay is- about $8 per ton, and an equa¬ 
tion would read as follows: 6.5 per cent 
protein in clover hay is to ^8 as 1.2 per 
cent protein in silage is to $1.48, show¬ 
ing that corn silage is worth $1.48 per 
ton as compared with clover hay at $8 
per ton. 
At $10 per ton for clover hay three 
tons of corn silage are just about equal 
to one ton of clover hay on the basis of 
the digestible protein they contain. I 
think Mr. Scott is in error when he says 
that a ration of 20 pounds of clover hay 
would furnish 2% pounds of protein per 
day. Figured on the total amount of 
crude protein contained in 20 pounds 
clover hay, it would be less than two 
pounds, and of digestible protein only 
1 1-10 pound. Perhaps Mr. Scott figured 
on 20 pounds of absolutely dry hay, 
which would be rather bulky for a prac¬ 
tical ration. The 20 pounds of clover hay 
would only contain 16.94 pounds of ab¬ 
solutely dry matter, and that is what 
we have to base our calculations on. 
Michigan. c. x>. woodbuey. 
Drying Off a Cow. 
We want information about cows going 
dry. We have a young Holstein due with 
her second calf shortly. She is giving five 
quarts now per day, and it looks as if 
she might give milk nearly if not quite 
up to calving, unless we take pains to dry 
her off. We have been told by several 
that she ought to go dry six weeks or two 
months. Is that the right way? She has 
two quarts of bran and about a pint of 
meal a day, with all the hay she will eat. 
READER. 
It has been my usual custom to milk 
a dairy heifer from time of first calving 
up to the second calving if may be. The 
purpose in this is to establish a reten¬ 
tive or strong milking habit if possible 
during the first period of lactation and 
in after milking periods. This is also 
in accordance with the policy of many 
breeders with whom I have talked. After 
having her second calf and before the 
birth of the third, it is my desire that 
the cow shall go dry for eight weeks or 
so. She will during this period have a 
resting spell, and also provide better for 
the forthcoming calf. During this dry 
period but very little grain need be fed, 
if good pasture or hay is plentiful, and 
of the concentrated feed, bran with a 
little oil meal answers the purpose best. 
When not on pasture, then silage or 
roots offer a most desirable food for the 
pregnant cow. Two quarts of bran and 
a pint of meal daily certainly would 
not be misspent on a dry cow of high 
class soon to come fresh. Bran is es¬ 
pecially recommended, as it aids In 
keeping the bowels open and active, and 
promotes a vigorous condition of the 
system. c. a. plumb. 
STARTING THE HENS. 
The first thing in this part of the 
country, if you want pullets to lay in 
the Fall, is to begin to hatch the chicks 
so that they will mature before the cold 
weather comes on. I find that a chick 
hatched four weeks too late in the 
Spring is from 12 to 15 weeks behind 
when it becomes Winter. As the cold 
weather approaches in the Fall I begin 
to feed a little more generously. I do 
not believe in feeding stimulants to 
poultry except meat meal, oyster shells 
and grain. If a person had but a few 
hens, perhaps nothing would be better 
than ground raw bone and meat, but 
for a large number of hens tif you have 
to turn the crank yourself) tne pre¬ 
pared meat meal comes in quite handy. 
I know of no other way to get 200 eggs 
from a 156-egg hen, poultry paper ad¬ 
vertisements to the contrary, notwith¬ 
standing. V. E. H. 
Lakeport, N. H. 
I feed my pullets po as to give all the 
growth I can while young. I feed crack¬ 
ed corn, wetted with sour milk, for the 
first three months; after that I keep 
corn before them (or buckwheat) all 
the time. If hatched in April, by No¬ 
vember they are generally ready to lay. 
For Winter, my feed in the morning is 
a wheat mash with some of the pre¬ 
pared poultry foods mixed with it, and 
also some oats or buckwheat at night. 
In cold weather I always feed whole 
corn, also keep plenty of warm water 
before them. I am not a poultry fan¬ 
cier, but with this plain method of care 
from the start my pullets and old hens 
lay well. After they begin to lay, they 
keep it up most of the time until they 
are dressed for the table, as I kill off 
all the yearling hens as soon as the pul¬ 
lets begin u lay. I also keep oyster 
shells ground before my poultry at all 
times of the year. o. w. h. 
'Spencertown, N. Y. 
Sharpies “Tubular” 
Dairy Separators. 
Greaiesi Step Ever Made in Ad¬ 
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Construction. 
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more butter than the be.st 
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fully 6 per cent interest on 
whole first cost of machine. 
We Absolutely Warrant It and Give 
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Also very light runnlng.a 600lb. machine 
turning easier than other 300 lb machines. 
No disks to bother with and get out of 
order. No complications. 
if you want to know about all different 
separators,send usfora copy of-‘TheSep- 
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them, together with free Catalog No. 153. 
Sharpies Co., p. M, Sharpies, 
Chicago, III. West Chester, Pa. 
Cream Separators. 
De Laval "Alpha ” and “ Baby ” Separators. 
First—Best—Cheapest. All Styles—Sizes. 
Prices, $50 to $800. 
Save $10 per cow per year. Send for Catalogue. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO,, 
Randolph and Canal Streets, I 74 Cortlandt Street, 
CHICAGO. I N gw YORK. 
Equal to & Cow 
A dairyman can afford to sell a cot 
or two, buy a 
National 
HAND 
Separator 
and have more cream to 
sell, and less stock to feed. 
The differenoe is in the 
cream saved by the Na¬ 
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test it in your own dairy 
free for ten days. Write 
for particulars. 
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