10 RURAL DENMARK 



buildings form a square, of which one side is devoted 

 to the dwelling and the remaining three to the build- 

 ings that are thatched and felt-roofed, the courtyard 

 within being paved with cobbles. 



First I inspected the stable, which held four horses, 

 and like all the other buildings was lit by electricity! 

 Next to it was the cowhouse containing twenty-four 

 red Danish cows that were in from the field for the 

 midday milking, as, like many Danish farmers, Mr. 

 Andersen milks three times a day. This custom is 

 said to insure a heavier yield, which more than com- 

 pensates for the extra labour involved. 

 v^ I noticed at once that here, as in many other places, 

 this byre was much warmer than we think it advisable 

 to keep cowhouses in England. Also the ventilation 

 did not seem to be so good as is usual with us. Often 

 this heat is no doubt caused by the low ceilings with 

 j lofts above that are common in Denmark. I incline to 

 think, however, that the cows as a rule are purposely 

 kept in a high temperature in order to increase their 

 supply of milk, which warmth is said to do. Whether 

 Ihe risk of tuberculosis is not also increased thereby is 

 a technical matter that I will not discuss, though my 

 own opinion is that this must be so. 



These cows were good average specimens of the 

 red Danish breed. Our guide informed me that the 

 cost of the ordinary run of such cows, inclusive of a 

 new-dropped second calf, would be about 250 kroner, 

 or say ^14, but that cows of a higher class fetch from 

 300 to 350 kroner, say up to ^20. This still remains 

 less than must be paid at present for a good short- 

 horn of like age in England. 



The cows here lay two in a stall, and over each of 

 them was hung a tablet stating when the animal was 



