THE AYRSHIRE BREED

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 50, 3 May 1928, Page 5

THE AYRSHIRE BREED

DEMONSTRATION AT TOKO 1 . At the farm of Mr. A. R. Claridge at Toko yesterday a demonstration of the Ayrshire breed was {Avon, by Mr. F. Mills, president of the New Zealand Ayrshire Breeders' Association and official demonstrator. Mr. Mills was introduced to those present by Mr. W. Hall, of Lepperton, president of the Taranaki Ayrshire Club. The whole of Mr. Claridge’s herd l of Ayrshire® was assembled, but two cows and a heifer only were used for the purpose of illustrating the speaker’s remarks.

VIGOUR RETAINED. The Ayrshire, said Mr. Mills, was by nature capable of standing up to work for years and years. Mr. Hall’s champion cow was nearly 18 years old land bad again proved victorious at last year’s show, proving that the breed retained its rigour much longer than other normal dairy animals. A number of other cows he could mention were still milking strongly, paying thejr way atnd producing healthy calves each year, though they were 17 or 18 yeavs old. In fact, lie had in his own herd old favourites 20 years of age that were still fresh milkers and were still breeding well. This clfaractjeiristic, he (said, was one of the salient features of the Ayrshire breed—an Ayrshire was still useful wheiriother cow« were in tins. Ho claimed for the Ayrshire that it waist the strongest constitutioned animal of all dairy breeds.

In Ayrshire cows of tins early breed had to thrive under hard and uncongenial conditions. Dairying was not the staple industry ini that locality, where the heavy clay s .11 was utilised chiefly for growing oats, with occasional changes to barley, the land being periodically left fallow to recover its fertility. What few cows there were were usually housed in rough sheds while the crop was in the ground and l were turned out to forage for themselves over the paddocks from which the crop had been gleaned.

GOOD FORAGERS. Even under these adverse conditions and despite the rigors of a bleak climate the breed won an enviable reputation for production. A hundred years ago a number of Ayrshire cows were milking up to lOlbis a day, said Mr. Mills. The Scottish farmer had a system of his lown of raising ytoung dairy shock that tended them to make good foragers, hardy and vigorous animals. When’ calves were weaned they were simply turned out on rough hillsides and glens to live as best they could until near the time of coming into profit. Hence there were developed a strong constitution and an unusual hardiness that was still evident. . Mr Mills enumerated the points of an Ayrshire, explaining that dairy type remained the same and demanded the same features irrespective of the breed. M r Mills answered a number of questions and discussed 1 'various difficulties experienced in practical milking and care of herds. The visitors were entertained to afternoon tea. by Mrs Claridge, when votes of thanks were accorded the demonstrator for his interesting address and to Mr and Mrs Claridge for their hospitality.