ON DAIRY FARMING,

BY \Y. K. HULKK, ESQ.

No. 8.- JERSEY AND AYRSHIRE COWS. From time immemorial the cattle of the Channel Islands, usually called Alderiieys, have been celebrated for their rich and highly-coloured butter. Of these fhe Guernsey is the largest, and is generally of a light fawn colour, patched with white. The Jersey and Albcrney are smaller mid more delicate. These arc said to ho probably descended from some Swiss mountain breed, of which many specimens are light and dark fawn in colour, fine iv head and horns, iv fact, resembling large deer. So extremely jealous arc the inhabitants of the I&lauds of the

reputation of their cattle, that the importation of foreign cattle for breeding purposes has been for many years prohibited under heavy penalties, and although more than one attempt has been made by the residents in the Islands to procure a repeal of this stringent law, they have invariably been defeated ; and all cows, heifers, and calves imported for food must be killed within four months after landing, under a fine of £20 ; the importation of any male animal being prohibited under a heavy penalty. It will thus be seen with these precautions against the introduction of foreign blood, the Jersey, Alderney, and Guernsey breed of cattle take a high position as regards a pure breed. Of Jersey cattle Col. J. Le Couteur (first lion, secretary of the Jersey Cattle Club) says:— "The laws of our Island are equally stringent as regards the importation of cattle as those of Guernsey; and although Guernsey cattle are not deemed to be foreign, there are scarcely a dozen of them in our island (Jersey), as they are considered coarse, and require much more food than the Jersey ; and judges at our cattle shows discard them and their progeny. As the object of the Jersey cow is to produce the largest amount of rich and highly-coloured butter, everything else, such as quantity of milk or feeding qualities, should be incidental. Beauty of form and of colour are of course desirable, but if in seeking these we neglect the milky properties we not only do an injury to our interest, but detract from the value of the breed. Unfortunately, the Jersey has entered the show-yard, and is becoming a fashion amongst a large class in England. Colour and symmetry being more thought of than milking I qualities, this may lead to its deterioration as regards butter production. 'Naturally possessing a delicate constitution, breeding for colour and deerlike form will not strengthen it ; and it is to be hoped that the same pampered treatment that has so injured the pedigree shorthorn will not be pursued by those who have now taken the Jersey under their fashionable patronage. The •wonderful properties, as regards butter, of the Jersey are shown by the following extract, taken from the Journal of lite British Dairy Farmers 1 Association, and American Agriculturist : — Myrtle (Mr. Fitches) gave 28 quarts daily, and loijlbs. of butter weekly. Maggie Mitchell (Mr. Fielden's) gave 28 quarts daily, and 18 3 lbs. butter a week ; and Jersie Rosalie (Mr. S. G. Levermade's), weighing 7001b5., gave from the 11th June, 1872, to August 3 1st, 2312 quarts of milk, and 1361b5. of butter ; again, in 1 874 she gave in ten days 403 quarts of milk and 251bs. 3oz. of butter, being a yield of lib. of butter to lOlbs. of milk ; and yet, high as this record is, Col. Warren's Jersey, Alpha, has beaten it, having made an authenticated record of 241bs. of butter in a week. As in America colour is not counted a necessary qualification in a milch cow, and has no point awarded it, whilst its milk vessel (udder) has,- the American Jersey will most likely show a far higher butter record than that breed in England. Even now the above records show that the Yankee is on the right tack. From the rich, golden colour of its butter, one Jersey is often kept by dair3 T men, who mix its milk or cream with that from other cows to improve the colour of the butter. For small subuvbau farms, adjoining large towns, where a higher price can usually be obtained for ji really superior article, the Jersey would be the best cow to keep ; but to command success, great care and and attention must be shown t j all its requirements, both as regards food and shelter, in fact they must be looked upon as pets, and as such they ure treated by their owners iv their native home— the Channel Isles. The • Guernsey differs but little from the Jersey except in size, and is equally valuable as n butter cow. It is hardier, however, consuming more food, and feeding quicker. As yet few of either Jersey or Guernseys have been imported into New Zealand. AYe will now consider the requirements of the cheese dairy. In this, milk in quantity, rich in casein or curd, and not deficient in fat (butter), is required. These qualities the Aj'rshire undoubtedly possesses, as it produces a maximum quantity of milk from a minimum quantity, or an inferior quality of food, which cannot be surpassed or even equalled by any other breed ; and in an uncongenial climate, and on land that is none of the richest, their is no breed approaching it for vigour and hardiness of constitution, while for activity and industry in search of food it stands in the front rank oJ cattle. Many highly qualified mer consider that a nearly perfect embodiment of a good dairy cow is to be fount" in the build and outline of a gooc

specimen of an Ayrshire. In the south and we3t of Scotland it is a rare thing to find auy other breed of cov/s used in the large cheese dairies, and Mr. Scott Burns (in his Outline of Modern Farming) says the Ayrshire j>ossesses the power of converting the elements of food more completely than any other breed, into cheese and butter. In Ireland and United States the breed is rapidly rising in favour. An Ayrshire cow belonging to Mr. Wallace, of Kerklandholm, Sackville, near Tralee, Ireland, gave 1305 gallons of milk in the year, or 17 quarts daily for 44 weeks. Mr. Wallace also set the milk of a number of his best cows as a trial for seven days ; the best produced being 141bs. of butter, and the worst nearly 121bs. Professor Shelden states that in the year 1875 a dairy farmer in Durham showed him his dairy-book for that year, and the gross return from his herd of thirty- six Ayreshires was over £25 per cow. This gentleman had carried on his dairy of Ayreshires for thirty years. In America, Mr. Robert MAdam, at a recent meeting of the New York Dairyman's Association, read a paper giving his experiences of shorthorns and Ayreshires in the dairy. He said he had followed the business of a dairyman from 1848 to 1869 in Scotland, and had studied the two breeds carefully on the farm and fairs ; that he had known many large milkers among the shorthorns, but he thought the preference given by the best Scotch dairymen to the Ayreshire over the shorthorn ought to go a good way in deciding their relative merits. In proof of the superiority of the Ayreshire, he mentioned that, having purchased the milk of a neighbouring herd of shorthorns, he mixed it with that of his Ayreshires, and found that the mixed milk was poorer than that of his own herd had been before it was mixed ; and on trial next season he found the following results :— 64 Ayreshire cows gave 65,3801b5. of milk, or 0,4241b5. of cheese, being a daily average of 331bs. of milk, or SAlbs. cheese ; whilst the 64 shorthorn cows gave 52,6801b5. of milk, or 4,7971b5. of cheese, averaging 271bs. of milk and 2 7-10ths of cheese. Both herds were pastured in adjoining fields and on land of similar quality, and both herds were esteemed first-class of their respective breeds. The average of his dairy (Ayreshire) for a period of 25 years, was oOOlbs. of cheese per cow. Mr. Albsebrook, of Wollaton, Nottingham, speaking of Ayreshires in the midlands, says : — " They are specially valuable where the pasture is not of first-rate quality, and they do well on dry, wiry pasture, that would starve a shorthorn. Milk from Ayreshire cows is of a good quality, though not so rich as that from Channel Island cows. I have found, from repeated tests, that where Ayreshire cows were fairly matched against graded shorthorns, ordinary Derbyshire cows, or good Irish cows, the Ayr shires had the best of it, their milk yielding about 2 per cent, more cream than the others. First-class specimens of the pure Ayreshire have been imported into New Zealand, and are to be found in the Oamaru and Otago districts, and most of the dairies in those districts have more or less of Ayreshire blood in them, and which is yearly being bred up to a higher standard by the use of first-class pedigree bulls imported direct from Scotland.

Con from Connanght. — At yo plaze. sorr, when onght a monk to sit by a lire ? — Share, when ho's cowl'd. Which is the oddest fellow, the one who asks a question, or the one who answers ?—-The? — -The one who asks, because he is the querist. "Circumstances alter Cases," said a lawyer to his client, after losing his fourth law-suit. — "Cases alter eirea mstauces," savagely rejoined the client. " By your management of my cases ray circumstances have been nearly ruined." A Lady who expended her anxieties chiefly upon a large collection of goldfish took an Irish servant-girl into her household, and entrusted her with the charge of her finny family. In the directions as to the care of them, the lady gave strict injunctions that the fish were to be kopfc particular}'' claan. For the first day or two after the engagement of the new servant the fish seemed to be ailing, and were swimming very languidly, with their gold scales singulary broken and discoloured. Happening to rise rather earlier tl.an usual on the third or fourth day, the mistress found Biddy at her morning's occupation. The thirty or forty goldfish lay panting and floundering upon the table, and the industrious servant was vigorously taking up one after the other, and rubbing them with a towel ! She was burnishing their scales with polishing paste !