294 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



There is no operation in farming that requires 

 the attention of the master more than milking — to 

 see that tlie cows are all properly milked clean ; 

 if that be not done, the cow soon loses her 

 milk. There is an old saying, that " the last half- 

 pint is worth the first pint." Milking is done both 

 by men and women, and the in-door servants — or, 

 at any rate, the dairy-maid — is generally expected 

 to take a share in the work. Seven or eight cows 

 are generally found sufficient for each, so as to have 

 the milk in the dairy of sufficient temperature to 

 " run" without requiring to heat any. 



The hours of milking are about five in the 

 morning and four in the afternoon, when cheese is 

 made twice a-day; and in the height of summer it 

 begins a little earlier in the morning. The number 

 of cows kept of course varies with the size of the 

 farms— from seven to eight cows to ten times that 

 number, and some dairies consist of more than one 

 hundred cows. Cheese is not often made where 

 fewer than the first-named numbers are kept. 

 About three acres is considered sufficient for a 

 cow, but some of the richest meadows carry more 

 than that quantity, and the less fertile farms require 

 a greater quantity of land to keep a cow through- 

 out the year ; but, from improvement in the land 

 and winter arrangement, there is more stock kept 

 than formerly on the same quantity of land. 



The farm houses of the North Wilts district are, 

 for the most part, conveniently situated for dairy 

 purposes. They are often found in the centre of 

 the pasture land, or, when situated in the village, 

 the yards usually open into one or more of the 

 pastures, so that the cow may always be driven 

 home to be milked, except when feeding in some 

 of the fields, in the autumn, that have been mown, 

 and are situated at a distance from the homestead : 

 then it is sometimes found to be more convenient 

 to milk in the fields, and bring the milk home in 

 carts. 



Much attention is given to the situation of the 

 dairy. A north aspect is mostly selected, in order 

 that the sun may have as little effect upon it as 

 possible ; and often if a little more care were be- 

 stowed upon the ventilation and drainage it would 

 be as well. There is one objection often to be seen 

 in the North Wilts dairies : the piggeries are placed 

 too near the house ; no doubt so placed for con- 

 venience in taking off the whey ; but often found 

 to be a considerable nuisance. Cleanliness, of 

 course, is the great desideratum in all good dairy- 

 work. Nothing tends more to the deterioration of 

 the cheese than a tainted atmosphere and unclean 

 vessels. A good supply of water is therefore ne- 

 cessary, and that is provided either by means of 

 pumps, or pipes and taps. The latter is preferred 

 when it can be conveniently adopted. I think the 

 dairy-women of North Wilts may take credit to 

 themselves for this most essential point both in the 

 house and the vessels used. There are several 

 descriptions of tubs or cowls used for receiving the 

 milk : some are made of brass, others of tin, and 

 many of oak ; but the latter are fast giving way to 

 the two former. The oak milking pails are also 

 giving way to tin buckets. Lever presses have 

 entirely superseded the old box presses. Leads 

 are always used for whey, and barrel churns turned 



either by hand or horse power, according to the 

 size of the dairy, are used for churning the butter. 



This leads me to the most important point of our 

 subject — the making of cheese. The North Wilts 

 cheese has long contested celebrity with Cheshire, 

 Cheddar, Stilton, and other descriptions made in 

 England ; and I think I may say, without fear of 

 contradiction, that at the present time there is more 

 attention given to the details of cheese making 

 than at any former period ; and the introduction of 

 the new inventions, of which I shall have occasion 

 to speak, being based more upon scientific prin- 

 ciples, than what may now be termed the " old 

 system," T trust will tend to keep up the character 

 of the North W^iltshire cheese amongst the other 

 esteemed varieties. 



The management of this branch of husbandry 

 devolves principally upon the mistress or daughters 

 of the family, assisted by one or more dairy-maids, 

 according to the size of the dairy ; but for my own 

 part, I do not see why it should not be performed 

 by men as well as women, if it is reduced to a sys- 

 tem (as it is said to be), by the newly-introduced 

 methods ; and by a regular use of the thermome- 

 ter, and the clock, men may surely undertake the 

 work. I know of one or two instances where the 

 work is done by men, and very excellent cheese 

 and butter are made by them. 



In the large dairies cheese is made twice a-day in 

 the summer months, when the number of cows 

 kept does not exceed thirty. It is not frequently 

 made more than once a-day, except, perhaps, during 

 a few weeks in hot weather. It is usual to set up 

 a small portion of the milk to make butter, even 

 when cheese is made twice a-day, and in some 

 dairies this is carried to too great an extent for the 

 quality of the cheese : the usual quantity of milk 

 butter does not often exceed one pound per cow 

 per week. The milk, after the cream is taken from 

 it, is used for warming the new milk to a proper tem- 

 perature for running, i. e. when the rennet is added. 

 I will now proceed to describe the method that has 

 for many years been pursued in Wiltshire dairies 

 with success, though I fear many excellent ma- 

 nagers differ shglitly in the details that I shall men- 

 tion, as I know many persons pursue some fa- 

 vourite plan, considered by themselves to be an 

 improvement; but my observations have been 

 principally collected from some very good dairy- 

 women in the district, whose cheese for many years 

 has obtained the best market price. 



As the milk is brought from the cows, it is put 

 into the cheese-tub (a large cloth being thrown over 

 the tub), and the milk passes through a fine hair- 

 sieve, placed in a ladder or frame, fixed across the 

 tub to prevent any dirt or hairs passing through. 

 It is difficult to say at what temperature the ren- 

 net is added, for in very few instances is the ther- 

 mometer used : all is done by " rule of thumb ;" 

 the heat is judged by inserting the hand, and ex- 

 I^erienced dairy-maids will be tolerably correct in 

 their judgment. The state of the circulation of the 

 blood, and the difference in the state of health of 

 the individual, must of course tend to cause a va- 

 riation; about eighty-five degrees is generally 

 aimed at, but this varies with the quality of the 

 soil and the season of the year ; the richer the soil. 



