Year book of the Ayrshire Breeders (Volume 1904) online

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UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
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1904




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YEAR BOOK

Cf the
AYRSHIRE BREEDERS




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Containing^ the Proceeding*/* of the Annual
Meeting, recent Milk and Butter Records and
General Information about Ayrshires and the

AYRSHIRE BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION.






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ANIMAL
HUSBANDRY



SRANDON PUBLISHING COMPANY, BRANDON, TT., 1904.



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MASSACHOSEnS
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REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS



OF THE



TWENTY-NINTH ANNUAL MEETING



OF THE .



AYRSHIRE BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION



AT



STANWIX HALL, ALBANY, N. Y.

DECEMBER 2, 1903.



The Twenty-ninth Annual Meeting of the Aj^rshire
Breeders' Association was held at Stanwix Hall,
Albany, N. Y., Wednesday, December 2, 1903, in
response to the call of the Secretary, and was called to
order by the President, George H. Yeaton, at 10:15
a. m.

The minutes of the last meeting were read by the
Secretary and approved.

The President appointed J. F. Converse, E. B.
Sherman and H. B. Cater, auditors to examine the
accounts of the Secretary and Treasurer.



The Secretary then proceeded to call the roll,
which was responded to by the following members
present:



Wells, S. M.
Walker, Wm. I.
Fletcher, Etna J.
Yeaton, Geo. H.
Converse, J. F.
Pike, George B.
Huffstator, L.
Brov'.n, Obadiah
Winsor, Nicholas S.
Winslow, Charles M.



Pember, Elmer F.
Cater, H. B.
Holt, Andy
Hayes, Chas. H.
Probasco, W. V.
Ham, Eugene
Tubbs, Ambie S.
Ryder, Arthur B.
Turnbull, Thos. Jr,
Sherman, Everett B.



Doe, Charles C.

The following members responded by proxy:



Bement, George
Gold, T. S.
Palmer, Edwin G.
Blodgett, H. W.
Buckley, J. P.
Libby, Alonzo
Scott, J. McPherson
Bowker, Geo. H.
Calumet Woolen Co.
CoDeland, Davis
Fletcher, Geo. A.
Perle)^ Charles
Sage, Chas. D.
Stone, Geo. F.
Wolcott, C. W.
Scott, John W.
Childs, Harlow N.
Garvin, W. R.
Holt, E. A.



Dorrance, Henry
Larned, j . H.
Sellers, Wm.
Stewart, John
Hunt, A. W.
Harrison, Chas. K.
Bacon, P. K.
Burt, Jairus F.
Knowlton, Geo. W.
Leach, Philo
Peirce, F. C.
Pierce, Geo. H.
Smith, Peter D.
Tyler, Arthur F.
Reeve, C. McC.
Bell, Chas. J.
Clark, Geo. C.
Hayes, Chas. S.
Kimuall, Herbert M.



Rockwood, C. E.
Sawyer, E. E.
Casterline, J. Andrew
Whittingham, W. R.
Hall; hott
Lewis, C. vV.
Dunham, Lawrence
Nichols, James H.
Smith, Oliver
Stowell, W. G.
Wood, Walter J. Jr.
McConnell, A. B.
Butterfield, J. F
Byrne, Patrick
Peck, C. L.
Templeton, Robt.
Bowen, Edward S.
Abell, C. A.
Emerson, Chas. W.
Forest Park Farm
Houghton, Wallace W.
Scott, W. F.
Smith, E. A.
Watson, H. R. C.
Irving, Thos.



Russell, Frank E.
Willoughby, Ai
Farley, F. C.
Cookingham, H. W.
Hatch, Charles E.
Welch, M. G.
McCrea, Robt.
Rodger, G. L.
Stowell, L. D.
Verplank, Samuel
Zabriskie, Andrew C.
Blakeslee, O. P.
Byrne, Christopher
McFadden, Geo. H. by

Supt. John W. Oakey
vShimer, B. Luther
Arnold, Geo. W.
Hinson, W. G.
Drew, L. S.
Fisher, A. H.
Nye, W. C.
Proctor, Fletcher D.
Scribner, G. S.
Vt. Experiment Station
Tschudy, Fred



Thb PrKSIdknT: Last evening our Secretary
received a telegram from Mr. J. D. Magie saying his
father dropped dead in the station at Elizabeth just as
he was starting for Albany to attend this meeting, and
last evening we appointed a committee consisting of
Messrs. Brown, Turnbull and Converse to draft resolu-
tions, which we will now listen to.



Dr. TurnbuIvL: Mr. President, the following
resolutions were drawn b}^ the committee appointed last
evening:

" Whereas, it has pleased our Heavenly Father
to remove, suddenly and unexpectedly, our fellow mem-
ber of the Ayrshire Breeders' Association, J. O. Magie,
who was on his way to attend our meeting;

''Be it Resolved, That we, the members of the Ayr-
shire Breeders' Association, in our annual meeting
assembled, feel that we have lost a friend and comrade,
one whom we all loved for his many striking qualities;
who always had the interests of the Association at heart,
and one w^hose good fellowship we all enjoyed at our
annual meetings and at his home.

' 'Further be it Resolved, That our heartfelt sympathy
be extended to his sorrowing family and that a copy of
these resolutions be sent to the family and spread upon
the minutes of the Association.

OBADIAH BROWN,
THOMAS TURNBULIv, Jr..
J. F. CONVERSE,

Committee."



The President: Gentlemen, what will you do
with the resolutions offered by the Committee ?

Rev. ^r. Pember: I move they be adopted by a
rising vote.

Motion seconded, and carried unanimously, all the
members rising.

The President: We will listen to the financial
report of the Secretary.



FINANCIAL REPORT



Cash on hand at beginning of last year,

Entries and transfers through the year,

Milk record blanks sold,

Private herd books sold,

Herd books.

Pedigree blanks.

Advertisements in Year book received,

For W. V. Probasco 7 day test,

New members, nineteen,

Making a total of

PAID OUT FOR THK PAST YEAR.

Postage, $ 82 67
Telegrams, i 81
Sundries, 6 95
Entry fee returned to Mr. Welch, 5 50
Stenographer, last meeting, 35 50
Brandon Publishing Co., 522 05
Half tone engravings, 21 00
Tuttle & Co. , for printing and bind-
ing Vol. 14, 483 30
Freight, 35
Express, 4 20
Advertisement in Country Gentle-
man, 25 00
Committee meetings, 112 08
Home Dairy Test, 395 17
Banquet at New York, 51 75
Secretary's salary, 500 00
Extra work, 100 00
Personal traveling expenses, 51 97
Balance paid N. S. Winsor, treas-
urer, 876 99



$1126 43

1567 50

9 36

13 50
15 00

2 50

57 00
10 00

.475 00
$3276 29



$3276 29



AUDITORS' REPORT

The committee appointed to examine and audit the
Secretary's account, report aH'correct.

E. B. SHERMAN, )

J. F. CONVERSE, ^Auditors.

H. B. CATER, )



The Skcrktary: I have the itemized bills for
every thing that I have paid out for the Association,
which I should be pleased to read, if anybody cares to
hear them.

The President: Anyone wish to have the item-
ized bills read by the Secretary?

(No answer.)

Report accepted and adopted.

The President: We will now listen to the report
ol the treasurer.




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TREASURER'S REPORT.



Casli balance in hands of treasurer

January i, 1903,
Received from sales of books.
Notes from Secretary,

Postage and expressage,
Deposited in bank,



^


5^


55


75


876


99


$5


36


50


00



$933 24
55 36



Cash balance in hands of treasurer

December 2, 1903, $877 88

Balance bank book Jan. i, 1903, $4201 08
E>eposited March 31, 1903, 50 00

Dividend May i, 1903, 83 62

Dividend November i, 1903, 86 68

4421 38



Total funds in hands of treasurer

December i, 1903, $5299 26

We have this day examined the account of N. S.
Winsor, Treasurer, and find it correct.



J. F. CONVERSE, )

E. B/ SHERMAN, ^Auditors.

H. B. CATER, )



December 2, 1903.



SECRETARY'S REPORT

The general interest in Ayrshire cattle judging
from the inquiry for information, in regard to the breed
and where cattle can be bought is somewhat on the
gain, but reliable information to attract new men
towards the breed is scarce and hard to obtain.

The breeders of Ayrshire cattle do not seem anxious
to sell, and they seem almost unwilling to let the out-
side world find out how good are the cattle for fear it
would seem that they would be pestered with buyers.

Ayrshires have been bred in this country for a good
many years,^ but never with any concerted action among
the breeders to build up their dairy capacity, and still
we find now and then a phenominal cow.

The other dairy breeds have, when a phenominal
cow appeared, made her the foundation oi a dairy
family, and by judicious crossing have tried to build up
the dair}^ qualit}^ of their respective breeds. Hut the
Ayrshire breeders have almost ignored the dairy capa-
city of their cows in their attempts to follow some fad in
the breed other than the dairs^ 3^ield, and it has greatly
tended to keep back the progress of the breed. For the
trend of all breeding at the present time is for phenom-
inal records and while the breeders of other cattle are
breeding and testing for great dair}^ yields the A yrshire
men are talking about what proportion of white shall a
cow have, and shall her horns drop or stand upright.

I remember some years ago I found it difiicult to
sell bulls with more white than red, and today it is
difficult to sell bulls with more red than white, no mat-
ter what their backing may be for dairy production.

There seems to be on the part of a good many
breeders a desire to go to Canada for Ayrshires. Why
they should do this I do not know, for all the com-



parative records tlia't are reliable show th - States hred
Ayrshire to be superior to the Canadian, though in oraJ
report of the 5delds of Canadian cows they are superior.

There appears to be an increased importation oi
Ayrshires from Scotland, some being equal m dairy
yield to our States bred, and some not. There are two
types of Ayrshires in Scotland, the dairy and the show.
The importation of the dairy type may be of advantage
when they have long teats, for there is a tendency
among many of our breeders to pay too little attention
to the shape of the udder, and the Scotch are very par-
ticular about this in their cows, but the importation of
the show type with large horns and small teats, sJiould
be discontinued, for it has taken the American breeders
of Ayrshires many years to overcome and breed away
from the early mistakes of Ayrshire importers, and has
more than any one thing given the Ayrshire cattle an
unfavorable reputation among dairymen.

The dairymen of the United States today want a
cow of fair size, a large milker and with comfortable
teats.



DEATHS

The following deaths of members have been re-
ported:

Peter Couts, Mayfield, Cal.

N. P. Jones, Billerica, Mass*

D. A. Massey, Asylum Station, Mass*

T. Allman Cochrane, Baltimore, Md.

C. H. Boynton, Lisbon, N. H.

F. H. Mason, Leon, Ohio.

J. O. Magie, Elizabeth, N. J.



12

The following are clippings from two of the JSTew-
Jersey state papers:

John O. Magie, whose home for a number of years
was at El Mora, fell dead in the Central Railroad sta-
tion at that place at 9:30 o'clock this morning.

Mr. Magie entered the station in company with his
daughter-in-law, and purchased tickets, both intend-
ing to leave on the train at 9:34 o'clock for Albany,
where Mr. Magie had expected to attend a convention
tomorrow. Soon after he had purchased the tickets he
dropped to the floor dead. Heart disease was the cause
of his death.

Mr. Magie was born in the house which has ever
since been his home on the Magie road. For many
years he was engaged in the dry goods business at
Broad and East Jerse}^ streets. In recent 3^ears he was
a large farmer and stock raiser, and was frequently
awarded prizes at the fairs at Waverh^ and elsewhere
for blooded cattle.

He united with the Second Presbyterian Church
when a young man, and for several years was a ruling
elder, holding that office at the time of his death. He
was a faithful attendant at the church services. Mr.
Magie was a zealous Republican, and was one of the
young men who, in 1856, assisted in the formation of
the Republican party. He was one of the charter mem-
bers of the Union County Board of Agriculture and a
regular attendant at its meetings, where his counsels
were much sought.

His wife, who died a few 3^ears ago, was a sister of
Hon. Amos Clark. Mr. Magie leaves two sons, John
D. and Barnes P. Magie, and one daughter, Mrs.
Leary.



13

There are some features of the life of John O.
Magie, who died suddenly in Union county on Tuesday
last, that are noteworthy in themselves and encouraging
to those who find themselves unable to succeed against
sharp competition in mercantile pursuits. He was a
retail dry goods merchant thirty years ago, and had one
of the best stores in Elizabeth, but he did not succeed,
and his whole stock was sola at auction. He at once
took up farming and cattle raising. Jerseys were in
great vogue and brought enormous prices in those days,
but Mr. Magie contented himself with Ayrshires, which
were then neither fashionable nor costly, though always
reliable and considered the most useful for general pur-
poses. He bred Ayrshires with great care, developed
their best qualities, and they rewarded his intelligent
efforts not only vvith good money, but with many
honors. lie exhibited his cattle at all the great agri-
cultural fairs from Massachusetts down to Virginia, and
won premiums wherever he went. He was a hard worker
and made his farm and dair}^ pay through constant
activity and intelligent care. The instances in which
unsuccessful merchantmen became successful farmers
and cattle breeders are not so numerous, in this section
of the country, that one so marked can fail to be instruc-
tive. It goes to show that agriculture will, if properly
followed, not only afford a living, but permit the achieve-
ment of honor and a fair degree of wealth. — Newark
Evening News.



14
NEW MEMBERS

Patrick Bj^rne & Sons, St. Joseph, Pa.

W. C. Stowell, Black Creek, N. Y.

R. Parker & Son, Ferrisburgh, Vt.

Forest Park Farm, Brandon, Vt.

J. P. Buckley, Stroudwater, Me.

J. C. Osgood, Redstone, Colorado.

Harlow N. Childs, Piermont, N. H.

Ai. Willoughby, Woodsville, N. H.

J. Walter Wood, Jr., Short-Hills, N. J.

G. L. Rodger, Gouverneur, N. Y.

S. S. Karr& Sons, Almond, N, Y.

Robert Templeton & Son, Ulster, Pa.

C. E. Rockwood& Son, Temple, N. H.

Wallace W. Houghton, Lyndonville, Vt.

h. Huffstater, Sandy Creek, N. Y.

M. G. Welch & Son, Bur.ie, N. Y.

C. W. Lewis & Sons, Alfred Station, N. Y.

Louis H. Kenyon, Utopia, N. Y.

C. R. Hatch, Gainesville, N. Y.

We printed last year, and issued. Vol. 14 of the
Herd Book. We prepared a private Herd register for
use ol breeders capable of accommodating seventy-five
cows with an extended pedigree for five generations of
produce of cows, for a lifetime of service of eight years,
and a record of her daily yield for milk and butter for
each month, all convenient on one page, with the name
of the owner and various remarks which he might add,
at a cost of about ninety cents a volume — which we can
sell and make the Association whole by selling to mem-
bers present for $r 25, or send by mail postage paid, for
$1.50. We have two hundred and fifty. They are
books that will be valuable as long as the Association



15
exists. Dr. TurnbuU gave me great assistance in get-
ting these out. We think it is of great value to breeders.

We also issued milk record blanks, a new series
with a change that accommodates thirty-four cow^s, on
better paper than before.

We had a large number of blanks for extending
pedigree to five generations printed, as a good many
breeders wanted them for their own convenience.

The Association for the last year has increased in
membership, and the entries to the herd register have
largely increased, so that we are obliged to close the
volume the first of January. In order to keep the vol-
umes at a uniform size of about 350 pages, we have to
issue a book onv:e in eighteen months. A few years
ago, in order to get about 100 to 150 pages, w^e ran two
years, whic i shows an increase of registering in the
Secretary's office and show^s that the issuing: of herd
books is largely on the increase, more cattle, more mem-
bers, and more business.

We have also issued a Year Book. We found that
while this is rather expensive and requires a good deal
of work, 3^et v/e find it is a very valuable book for the
dissemination of knowledge of Ayrshire Cattle. We
frequently have letters sent from experiment stations all
over the country wanting to know if they can have
twenty-five or fifty or a hundred copies of the books
sent to them to distribute in their Agricultural classes.
These go to /oung men that are being educated and
scattered through different parts of the country. We
have a great many inquiries from people wanting
information in regard to Ayrshire Cattle and we enclose
one of these Year Books. We also frequently have let-
ters wanting to know if there are any Ayrshire Cattle
in various sections, and we put a mark on the page
referring to the state where this man is and send it to



i6

him which makes a very quick and convenient way of
advertising. We also print in it the Constitution and
the official records. When we first started we printed
private records of milk and butter yields because thej^
were all we had, but we now have official records and
we dropped out the unofficial and they are not used in
the book. We publish details of experimental station
work, and in that way we feel we are giving the public
what we can absolutely believe is based on what, to the
best of our information, is correct. We thought it was
wise not to admit any pictures in this book, except those
that were from half-tones, from photographs of cows and
bulls, because very often you could have a painting
made or a picture taken from a painting which would,
in itself, be a picture representing a better cow, and it
seemed to us it was not true. The Association felt that
for the dignity, the integrit}^ and for the permanent and
lasting improvement of the Association, they should
adhere strictly ;o that which is absolutely true; there-
fore we use half-tones, from photographs of the animals,
w^hile a great many times there are defects in them, it is
because of defects in the cows and nobod}' is deceived.
The records, while they are not as large as perhaps
we could guess at, or could perhaps write out on
paper, they are true. We feel that in pursuing the
course ot absolute truth and absolute integrity, being
able to back up all our statements, we are not deceiving
an\4>ody and the progress we make as an Association
in disseminating knowledge as to A5^rshire Cattle and
in spreading the popularit}^ of the breed, is steadily
gaining on a solid basis.



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REPORT OF COnniTTEE ON HOME DAIRY TESTS

Your Committee would report on the test ending
March 31st last, that there were about seventy-five cows
tested, with the following results: That forty-two gave
a record of over 300 lbs. of butter and two over 4.00 lbs.
Of these one gave below 6000 lbs. of milk, forty-one
over 6000 lbs., thirty-two over 7000 lbs., fourteen ovef
8000 lbs., five over 9000 lbs. Of these, four qualified for
advanced registrj^ as mature cows.

The prizes awarded for single cow were:

First. To Maurine, 13422, for 7839 lbs. of milk,
4.9 per cent, fat, 433 lbs. of butter; owned by James J.
Hill, St. Paul, Minn., I30.00.

Second. To Miss Ollie, 12039, with 8408 lbs. of
milk, 13.59 total solids, 4.4 butter-fat, 425 lbs. of but-
ter; owned b}^ L,. S. Drew, So. Burlington, Vt., $20.00.

Third. To Acelista, 12094, with 9289 lbs. of milk,
12.31 total solids, 3.7 butter-fat, 392 lbs. of butter;
owned b}^ C. M. Winslow & Son, Brandon, Vt,, $10. co.

HERD PRIZES.

W. V. PROBASCO, CREAM RIDGE, N. J., ISt, $75.00.

Lbs. Milk Per cent, fat. Butter.

Ploe 7986 4.3 391.28

Mvsie ot Barcheskie 9228 3.8 392.53

Roma 8371 3-87 367.56

?^efirl Clvde 7824 4.1 363.79

Katv Did 7299 4 2 356.87



40,708 4. 1877.03



iS

aKO. H. YEATON, DOVER, N. H., 2d, $50. OO.

Lbs. Milk. Per cent fat Butter

Miss Olga 7762 4 4 397.36

Pomenah 7576 4 58 389.51

Biona 6886 3 65 34192

Xoa 8008 3.72 341.71

Gebic. 7471 3 88 336.09

37,703 4. 1806.59

HOWARD COOK, BKIvOlT, OHIO, 3d, $25.00.

Per cent.
Lbs, Milk. total solids Per cent. fat. Butter.

Kallev 9190 12.47 3 70 394 58

JnezDouo^las 7663 14.16 4.S4 385.97

Miss Fleda Douglas. 7758 12. 74 3 70 335 93

Belle's Cherry 6913 12.96 3 60 313.65

Little Douolas 8178 11.51 3,38 311 87

39,702 12 64 3.74 1742.00

While none of these records are phenomenal, they
have the advantage of being reliable, and are worth
much more to recommend the breed to the public, than
much larger records that are largely guess work.

These records are made at home under the ordinary
methods of care and management, and are the 3delds
that any careful breeder and feeder might expect to
obtain from his cows.

None of them were fed more than was profitable
to be done for the ordinary dairy use of his cows.

We have over loo cows in the test now going on,
some herds in the East, some in the West and one in the
South, giving us the reliable knowledge of how Ayr-
shires can do in all sorts of climate and care.

We believe the Home Dairy Test taken in connec-
tion with testing for the Advanced Registry is of great
advantage to the breed and especially to those who
participate in the test.

The time has gone by when statements of an
indefinite nature will be accepted as the records of cows



19

and the time of simply private records is also passing.
What the public wants to know is really what a cow
of a given breed will really do at the pail, and there is a
demand for official records. In publishing the Year
Book for the past year we put in only the official records
that we had, believing it for the best interests of the
breed to make truth the only foundation, and that veri-
fied by outside evidence.

We would recommend tQ the Association that they
continue the Home Dairy Test, with the same appro-
priation, and would urge on all breeders of Ayrshires
the advantages of placing their herds in this test.

This year we have one hundred and twenty-five
cows entered. The test is being carried on by the
owners and inspected by the experiment stations and
tabulated by the Secretary. Last 3^ear we had seventy-
five cows, and the report ended the last daj^ of March.
I would say here that it seemed wise to me and I took
the responsibility of not printing in the newspapers the
result of last year. Last year was a hard year on dairy-
men all through the countiy, our cattle did not make
the phenomenal records of three 5^ears ago. Of the
whole seventy-five, one had ten thousand pounds of
milk, four hundred and thirt^^ three pounds was the
highest butter yield. While that is a good record, and
true, yet, I thought it unwise for us to get out flaming
notices that the Ayrshires in their Home Dairy Test
had given official records which fell under ten thousand
pounds of milk and put it in the hands of people all
over the country, not friendly towards the breed, who
might handle it against us. "The year before we had
cows that went over ten thousand pounds and we pub-
lished it broadcast.

The Home Dairj^ Tests with the Advanced Regis-
ter I believe is the foundation of a very valuable data



20

that will be of lasting benefit to Ayrshire Cattle because
it displays their superior merit, and I think those who
have entered it have been abundantly pleased and
repaid. I would like to ask Mr. Probasco, for instance^
if he does not feel he has been abundantly paid, or some
of the other gentlemen here. I have no doubt, gentle-
men, that there are a number of cows that are not
entered by breeders that ought to go into that Home
Dairy Test. I have no doubt but that" breeders have
cows they are milking every day and not weighing the
milk that are better than the cows entered in the dairy-
tests. I think those going in the Homic Dairs Test and
giving to the public the result of their tests, are worthy
of a good deal of commendation, although they may not
be able to give a phenomenal yield. I think it is a
starting point, the opening of a new era for Ayrshire
Cattle and that the cattle will come to be known as
reliable yielders of dairy products of good, fair quantity,
and we hope every year will add to our phenomenal
yields.

The President: There were some matters that
were brought before the Executive Committee last even-
ing that might be presented at this time.

The Secretary: Tiiere are some members to be
elected. Mr. E. E. Button, of Melrose, N. Y., here
present, washes to become a member of the Association;
Arthur B. Ryder, of Barnerville, N. Y., who has paid
his entrance fee, is also here. I- would move, Mr. Presi-
dent, that these two gentlemen be elected. I will vouch
for both Mr. Ryder and Mr. Button as reliable breeders,
because I have recf-ived their applications for entries
and they have been in good shape, and I believe they