OUR AYRSHIRES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 127, 29 May 1914, Page 11

OUR AYRSHIRES.

There has been iii tl)" past, there is I to-day. I .suppose Ihere nlway will l>o, i writes a correspondent to the Canadian i "Farm anil Dairy." a vast difference of opinion as to wlint in the trim type hi Ayrshire omv. As with :ill other breeds of live stork", e.-vh breeder ha.s his own peculiar idea regarding type. | r-jrardless of the official scale of point> as- laid dowTi by the different, Hitsiwi atioxis of the perfect animal. In Ajrshirpji, many tell us tliat tliere are two different :ind distinct, types. . n.imcly, ihe .showyard or f;u*hionable type and the producing type. It may !>!• that certain of our breeders are working with a. different, object in view, but rejrardinp lypc I havn always held and tin holil thai there i> only one tr\ie and correct standard or type of Ayrshire cow, <itie standard ranbraeinji both ■ llie HhuHvard and the producing cow. j True, srirne of our breeders and a nuiiibt'r «f our judi;e? have laid too | much importan' , !' <m Dea-tiifss anil atiraetirenflKS. In doing so they have sa.irilicnl the preaU'St. essentrals of t.he true Ayrshire and dairy cow, constitution, and capacity. However, this does not Vb.inpe our standard. It. is n matter of fashion in breedin;:. At the same time, is it not a factor of frrnat importance to our favourite breed\ 'What will be the outcome if this for attractiveness continues to incrXasc? Professor Barton tells us I that theVbrefid. like .ill other breeds. I has its riVecte. No matter how the AyrshVe cow stands in our esti- j mation. if sh.; has defect.« it. is up to our! breeders u> overcome them. I Careful breeding α-nd selection will: overcome siny defect, find as breeders we can make our favourite hrend just in accordance to the standard of our! ideal. i Jlavinfj made a careful study of thi." important question. I find that about! 50 per cenrt. of both males and females; are nnder size, and do not come up to our trtajidard regarding size. This is a serious matter and one which every zealous breeder must fare. Three causes I find which have caused thesp results: — T'ndersb.ed by bcinp underfed in order to develop neatness. :2ml. I ndersized by u«inj undersized ■\ti\. I'nd-ewized by breAdinj. , o;ir heifers before they mature. The R. of V. tert is showins iis mere ilearly every ilay that wp cannot set heavy prodiif-ers in small undersized cows. The dairy cow of any breed is only a machine of ireat capacity to handle a \iT-2f -jiniiimt of feed and jrri>at i-onstitu-tii'ii to withstand the strain, and having within hr-r?elf the ability to turn this fooil into ini'k and fat. In the tru<- Ayrshire m-.r we have all these (hiiTiU'leristic.s. anil if we breed for thepe we will have no Trouble record* or of combining the two types into on* , hi'_'h standard "f porfonnance