1853. 
THE CULTIVATOR, 
317 
t{ A3^rshires as Milkers.” 
I notice by your Country Gentleman of the 25th, a 
statement of the dairy properties of certain Short-horn 
cows, for the purpose apparently, of eliciting informa¬ 
tion as to the comparative values of Durhams and Ayr- 
shires for dairies. 
Mr. Edward M. Shepard of Norfolk, in this, St. Law¬ 
rence county, is a breeder of Ayrshires, and while he 
has made no experiments with particular or individual 
cows, like your correspondent “ P., of Sennett, N. Y.,” 
which, by the way, is not a proper method of testing 
the value of breeds, unless the whole herd be taken, 
has yet permitted to be published in the papers of this 
county, at the solcitation of myself and other friends, 
trials of his whole herd, the substance of which is here 
submitted. 
Mr. Shepard had 14 cows, Ayrshires and their crosses i 
on natives, half-bloods, six heifers, milking for the first 
time —time, the third week in June—feed, grass only. 
Allowing one cow for family use, and deducting 40 
per cent from heifers, and his trial stood thus: 
Cows,... 8 
Heifers 6, reduced to cows, is,. 3*6 
, Short Horns as Milkers. 
I notice in your issue of the 4th, an inquiry as to the 
comparative value of Short Horns and Ayrshires, as 
milkers. I never owned an Ayrshire; but for the last 
fourteen years, having milked Short Horn grades, I 
send you the results of Several trials made with them, 
previously remarking, that as we intend to make only 
just sufficient butter for family use, have been at no 
trouble to prepare q, suitable “ milk-house.” 
Cow No. 1, fourteen years old, made in one week, in 
the month of June, lbs. butter—again in October, 
made 9 lbs. 2 oz. same time; this cow was always fat. 
No. 2, three years old, made at the rate of 121 lbs. 
per week. 
Nos. 1, 2 and 3, made 33 lbs. in one week of the 
month of June. 
No. 4, three years old, with her first calf, made 11 
lbs. 2 oz. in six days—the feed of these cows was grass 
pasture and nothing else. 
Gipsey 2d, thorough-bred, in the month of January, 
on hay feed, no roots or grain, gave 24 quarts of milk 
per day. The only trial ever made of the quality of 
this cow’s milk, was during the season of 1850, when 
her calf was allowed to take one-half of her milk, no 
more, he weighed at seven months old, 700 lbs. P. 
Sennett, N. Y. —«©»— 
Good Milch Cows. 
11-6 
Deduct one cow for family, is cows,. 10*6 
The product for the week was 12 lbs. 12 oz. per cow. 
The first week in July, feed grass only, and much affec¬ 
ted by drouth, he milked twenty, eight of which were 
heifers, milking the first season, and this trial stood 
thus: 
12 cows, less one for family, is,. 11* 
8 heifers, 40 per cent off, is. 4-8 
Full cows, • • .. 15-8 
The product for the week, per cow, was 14 lbs. 13 oz. and 
a fraction over. 
But, lest your correspondent might think my allow¬ 
ance for heifers too much, which, however, is consider¬ 
ed a just allowance by the dairymen of this county, the 
result of the last trial, without any deduction for their 
being heifers, and four of them only two years old at 
that, was 12 lb. 5 oz. and a fraction per head, for the 
A writer in the Middletown (Conn.) Sentinel and 
Witness, urges upon the citizens and farmers of that 
vicinity, the necessity of forming an association for the 
improvement of the breed of Milch cows—a branch of im¬ 
provement to which but little attention has as yet, been 
paid in this country. The great object of the principal 
breeders of cattle in England, has been to produce ani¬ 
mals of fine form and symmetry, which will mature 
early, and fatten at the least expense, with little or no 
regard to the milking properties of the females. From 
herds bred for this purpose, most of our expensive im¬ 
portations have been made. The results have proved, 
in the highest degree, beneficial so far as the production 
of beef is concerned; and in a greater or less degree in 
the milking properties of our native cattle. But we 
want a breed of uniform good milkers; and we know of 
no field, which affords a better prospect of a fair reward, 
than the breeding of such a race; any individual or as¬ 
week. 
I am advised by Mr. Shepard, that for the purpose of 
testing the merits of these breeds for the dairy, he will 
select some five or ten cows from this Ayrshire herd, and 
place them for some one week next autumn, or next 
June, against an equal number of any other pure breed 
of the same respective ages, owned by any one breeder 
or dairyman of the state. The cattle to feed upon grass 
only during the week, and for two weeks prior to the 
trial. The time to be notified through the Country 
Gentlemen. The time to consist of seven days, four¬ 
teen morning and evening milkings, each milking to be 
weighed, and each days product churned and weighed by 
itself, and the final test result to be in the aggregate, 
containing not over one ounce of salt per pound of but¬ 
ter. 
Mr. Shepard will wait the pleasure of your corres¬ 
pondents. H. G. Foote, Secretary St. Law. Ag. Soci¬ 
ety. Ogdensburgh , Aug. 30, 1853. 
sociation which would undertake the work, would de¬ 
serve the praise of the country. The writer above al¬ 
luded to, says:— 
“ But we cannot ask any one to take shares in this, or 
any other project where money is wanted, without meet¬ 
ing the question, “ Will it pay?” The answer may be 
gathered from what follows:— 
A good Cow, to be worthy of the name, should yield, on 
the average, for the first 100 days after calving, 71- 
quarts at a mess, or 15 qts. per day, amounting 
to... 1,500 
For the next 100 days, she should average 5 qts. 
at a mess,... 1,000 
For the succeeding 100 days, do. 4 qt. do.,. 800 
Total number of qts.,. 3,300 
—giving her a respite of 65 days before calving. 
3,300 qts. of milk, at 3 cts. per qt., is very near $100 
The cost of keeping may be reckoned as follows: 
For pasturage, the season,. $12 
2 tons hay,. 26 
