Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-04-14

breeding Ayrshires.
In a paper read at recent meeting
of Ayrshire breeders in New York,
Secretary c. M. Winslow laid down the
following principles for the guidance OF
breeders:
OF course the first point to lay down
for perfection is the actual yield OF
milk and butter, and whatever else
is sacrificed, this must be retained al
ways, and built up by every means
available Constitution must back up
this dairy prominence, or 1t amounts 10
little. With dairy yield and constitu-
ton, one will naturally have as Sc
quence the small head. the thin shout
ders, the large barrel with arched rips'
the capacious udder, large milk veins
and holes. The breeder has then
good dairy COW, and he must hold Oh
to that and add to it, and then polish
her I'D with what might be called the
non essentials. The udder must be
shaped to a proper form, bred up De-
hind and out in front and on the
sides. until the COW can hardly walk
when 1t is full. The sole Of the udder
must be brought down to level, anu
the teats moved to the four corners OF
the udder. In doing all this, you VIII
probably have shortened the teats SO
that it will trouble you to obtain the
amount of milk your new cow VIII
give, and you must breed them longer
and still hold all you have got. Then
YOU must square up the rump, anu
carry out the tail so that 1t Will drop
off suddenly at right angles. All TINS
time Won must watch the loin, to keep
up the strength of your machine. AFTER
you have done all this, you may give
her some small upright horns, and
place a broad flanders escutcheon on
your COW, and you may give her any
combination Of red, brown and wnlte'
except a roam; and you will have at
tanned your object-a perfect Ayrshire
cow.
Now to do all this man cannot stay
at home and work up perfection out
of his own herd. Nor can he send TO
some noted breeder and buy a bull
calf at random in the hope OF Its
nicking with his own herd and intensi-
flying the good qualities and eliminat-
ing the defects; but he should have the
ideal type so firmly fixed in his own
mind that he knows clearly what his
best cows lack in making them per-
feet, and he should find bull that
will build up the point that is most
lacking in his most perfect COW, bear
ing in mind the dairy quality always,
SO as to keep that on the increase, or
at least not to go backward. Some
times he will need bull strong in one
of the minor points and sometimes IN
another; and after all his pains and
trouble he may find he made mistake
in the use Of the most carefully Sc
lected bull, because of some prepon-
derance of strong blood that swerves
the offspring out of the line he hoped
for, and he has to try again.
In order to do all this, 1t is neces-
sary for the breeder personally to in
spect the dam and her relations, as far
as he can, OF the bull he proposes to
use in his herd; and the higher he
reaches in his attempts for perfection
the more necessary the personal knowl-
edge of the ancestry Of the proposed
addition to his herd. He should moi
wait until he needs a bull, but should
plan ahead and be on the lookout fol
Just what he is likely to need in the
near future, and have the dam Of 6
future bull in his mind; and he may
by little advice, manage to have bel
coupled so as still more to aid him il
obtaining what he needs. No one bull
will be suitable for all the herd; bu
IL the breeder is not situated so tina
he can keep more than one, he CAL
breed the top Of his herd right and
let the other end take care Of itself
One very important help In all thi
is always to keep the best animal
: YOU raise, and weed out the poorest
There Is always market for the poor
est, either to the butcher or the cit.
milkman. In my own herd, If Gov
does not suit me or come up to m.
standard Of excellence, I can Away
sell her as a new mich COW, to go t.
Brighton. The drovers are glad t.
get them, and will pay me the high
est market price for a fancy COW an
let me keep her calf and her pedigree
, and she goes to market as common
cow.