Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-06-14

How a Milking Breed was Made.
+. II. mosKINs. rditor.

drawn from Mr.. Atoms Dairy llushandrN
published in Ediuburg in 1920, Of the
origin of the Ayrshire breed Of cattle,
we promised to continue the subject in
another article. We undertake to do so now,
because we believe it to be of the utmost inn
portanco to the dairy farmers Of Vermont
that they should understand the true princi
Piles upon which the production Of uniform
race of dairy COWS must be effected, If eff
fected at ALL The selfish interests Of the
importers of foreign stock, and the subseivi-
ence Of the agricultural press to these inter
ests, together with the general lack Of knowl-
edge, even among the owners of these i'm
ported breeds, Of the methods by which they
were brought into existence and must be
maintained, has in great measure worked
to nullify the advantage that might other
wise have been derived from them so that
though vast sums have been expended the
actual results, as seen in the product Of our
dairy herds, either ia milk, cheese or butter,
has in no degree answered to the popular ex-
pectation, or 10 the cost incurred. Indeed,
it is very doubtful if throughout the coun-
. try an increase of one per cent on the gross
product Of butter, cheese aud milk can be
traced to the introduction of foreign blood.
There has doubtless been larger increase
than this Some have estimated it as high
as five per cent within few years but
most Of this is attributable to better care and
feeding, and especially to the early cutting
and better curing of grass, which has more
than offset. in its results, the decline Of our
pasturage.
Nothing can be made palmer than Mr..
Alton makes it, that the improvement Of
Ayrshire cattle from one of the poorest TO
the very best of dairy breeds in Great Britain
was due almost entirely TO better care, the
improvement in grass lands, better feeding,
and the exercise Of intelligent selection in
coupling the sexes and in the choice Of
heifer calves for rearing. So slight was the
sdmixture Of foreign blood in this race that,
though Mr.. Alton lived in the very midst Of
the district where they originated, and at the
very time when the improvement was in
progress, and was an active student of the
subject, he is unable to say more than that
few English bulls, probably of Durham
stock, were introduced, and that from their
progeny a considerable increase in the aver.
age size of the Ayrshires is thought to be
derived But as it is well understood that
an increase in size is the natural result of
better feeding and care, and as he attributes
most Of the improvement to this cause, it
seems probable that very little of the gain
can Justly be traced to the foreign cross
Improvement in pastures is point upon
which Mr. Alton insists. When it can be
done he strongly advocates manuring and
tilage for this purpose. The value of sheer
in improving pasture land incapable of til
lage seems not to have been known to him
and the Importance of overstocking anC
grain feeding during the pasturing season
for the improvement of similar land, wa
also little thought of at that time. Mucl
pasture land, capable of improvement b,
tillage, he says, lies in state Of complet,
waste, oyerrun with brambles, heath anC
rushes with streams of water running owe
and wasting the best of it, which might b,
proper industry be converted into excellen
dairy ground, and rendered productive o
much grain, roots and hay. When the pas
lures are covered with moss and coars
grasses, and the soil contains much iner
vegetable matter he advises an application
of lime as having the best effect. Land o
medium or inferior quality, he adds, if it i
already arabic, or capable of being easily re
claimed, is remarkably well adapted to dair,
husbandry, and no other mode of manage
ment will pay so well and tend to improy
the soil so much as occupying such Ian,
with dairy stock On dairy farm in tn
hills, where pasture land tends to grow n
to coarse growth after ten OF twelve year:
he advises cropping all arabic spots two 0
three years in succession out Of the twely,
When sheep are kept, this would not be S
necessary.
In regard to the first efforts to improve tn
Ayrshire cattle, he says, for some time afte
being crossed by stranger breed. the
were far from being so shapely aud hauc
some, or such mixers as they had recent
become. The two breeds crossed, Mr. Alto
Justly observes, were by far too distant fror
each other in their size and qualities, to hay
been SO Unfortunately coupled; and III
consequence was first mongrel and il
shaped race Of animals alt was only whe
they were well fed ON improved pasture tina
a breed so large or even their offspring
could thrive we'll preserve proper shapes. 0
yield much milk. When turned ont TO TIA
bare leys on which the native breed had bee
fed they grew up unshapely stayeling
And it was not then duly understood an
attended to that proper feeding was an indi
pensable requisite to a Dairy Cow" Doe
not this represent very nearly the conditio
of things in many parts of Vermont?
was not till after the year 1850 that the dair
stock Of Ayrshire began to be improved b
proper feeding. Cannot we celebrate tn
centennial of that date by general NOV,
ment along the same line among the Gree
Mountains
"Another thing says our author, tina
greatly injured the shape aud qualities q