CATTLE DAIRY HUSBANDRY. 



ie milk of the cow seldom contains more than 

 13 per cent, of solids, the average being about 12 

 per cent. The character of the food, the breed of 

 cattle, the length of time since the cow has calved, 

 with several other influencing causes, determine 

 in part the relative proportions of the various 

 elements. When taken from the cow, milk should 

 be removed to the dairy or milk-house, and after 

 being sieved, placed in shallow pans, to throw up 

 the butyraceous matter termed cream, which, like 

 all fatty substances, being lightest, floats on the 

 top. It has been found by experiments that it 

 takes 10 Ibs. of milk to make I Ib. of pressed 

 cheese, while not less than 30 Ibs. of milk are 

 necessary to make I Ib. of butter. 



THE DAIRY. 



A well-arranged dairy should consist of separate 

 apartments, in which the various operations can 

 be carried on the milk-room, the cheese-room, 

 the machine-room, and a boiler-house in which the 

 various utenjsils can be washed. If completely 

 isolated from other buildings, with the milk and 

 cheese room facing the north, these apartments 

 will be more easily kept cool A covered verandah 

 before the door, under which the washed utensils 

 may be placed to dry, will be found useful. The 

 milk-room should be cool, airy, dry, and free from 

 vermin of all kinds. To prevent the intrusion of 

 flies, the windows or ventilators ought to be 

 covered with a fine wire-gauze. The floor should 

 be laid with pavement, formed of sandstone, lime- 

 stone, or slate ; smooth glazed tiles are suitable, 

 and where used, they should also be placed around 

 the lower part of the walls. The benches on which 

 the milk-pans are to be placed are made of stone 

 or slate, and about thirty inches broad. The ceil- 

 ing should be at least eight feet from the floor, 



Messrs Richmond and Chandler's Cheese-press. 



and finished in every respect like that of an ordi- 

 nary dwelling-house. A slate roof is preferable to 

 one of tile, as it tends to keep the temperature 

 more equable. Cleanliness is most essential in 

 dairy-management. 



In Holland, the milk-dishes are very commonly 

 made of brass. Zinc, and even lead-glazed earthen- 



ware vessels are objected to, on account of the 

 action, or supposed action, of the acid of the milk 

 on these materials producing an active poison. 

 Glass is a good material in which to place the 

 milk ; and by using the iron vessels lined with it 

 by a new and durable process (manufactured by 

 the Birmingham Malleable Iron Tube Company), 

 the only objection its brittleness is at once 

 obviated. 



Cheese-presses are of various kinds and weights. 

 Granite is preferred. Presses formerly consisted 

 of a stone weight placed upon the sinker, which 

 was raised and depressed either by a block and 

 tackle or a screw. The above figure represents 

 an improved form of cheese-press, manufactured 

 by Messrs Richmond and Chandler, Salford. 



A patent cheese-making apparatus coming into 

 use in well-managed dairies is represented in the 

 following figure. The inventor is Mr Keevil of 



Cheese-making Apparatus. 



Lacock, near Chippenham. The milk is placed in 

 the apparatus, and curded in the usual manner. 

 When the curd is ready to be broken up, the 

 knives, A, A one set of which is placed horizon- 

 tally, the other vertically are turned gently round 

 by the small levered handle shewn in the drawing. 

 When the curd is cut into sufficiently small pieces, 

 the beam, C, is taken off, the knives removed, and 

 the curd is left to settle. When the whey is ready 

 to be drawn off, the curd is removed with a 

 skimmer from the face of the filter, D ; the plug, 

 E, is then drawn out, and a tap, placed at the 

 bottom of the filter, is turned on, and the whey 

 allowed to run off. In the sketch, the plug, E, is 

 shewn partly drawn up ; when commencing to use 

 the apparatus, it is of course pushed quite down. 

 When the whey has run off, so as to leave the body 

 of the curd visible, a tub-cloth is placed over it, 

 and on this a pressing-plate. A beam provided 

 with a nut, in which a vertical screw works, is 

 then fixed in a position corresponding to C. The 

 pressure of the screw, which is. turned by a handle 

 similar to that shewn in the sketch, is transmitted 

 to the pressing-plate through the medium of cross 

 arms or bearers, which are placed over the press- 

 ing-plate before the beam and vertical screw are 

 fixed. The pressure is applied gently at first, till 

 the whey ceases running from the filter-tap. The 

 pressing-plate and arms are then removed, the 

 curd cut and packed in a peculiar manner, and 

 again subjected to pressure. This is repeated till 



