88 RURAL DENMARK 



lived after all, but if it died, since that day its sacrifice 

 has redeemed the lives of thousands. 



So the society was constituted and took for its 

 motto "Pure Milk from Healthy Cows." At first 

 it had many struggles, but by degrees it triumphed 

 over them all, till at length it has risen to its present 

 pre-eminence of utility. It should be stated here that 

 it makes no fancy charges for its products. The best 

 milk is supplied at the same price as ordinary milk 

 commands elsewhere in Denmark. Then there is a 

 children's milk and a specially prepared infants' milk, 

 which of course cost more. 



The company owns no cows. All the milk comes 

 from forty selected farms that graze something over 

 5000 cows. Two of these farms I saw, and will speak 

 of later. Also I hope to publish in an appendix the 

 regulations and conditions under which the milk is 

 supplied (see Appendix A). I recommend them as 

 a counsel of perfection to English dairy-farmers, not 

 excepting myself, but what would happen if we were 

 asked to sign them I am sure I do not know. 



The first thing to be seen at the dejxk is the milk 

 coming in by train in special vans belonging to the 

 company ; 6000 gallons of it arrive every day in 

 sealed cans. From the vans these cans are run on 

 to weighing-machines and the weight of each is noted, 

 together with the name of the farmer from whom it 

 comes. Then they are opened, and a sample taken 

 from each is handed to an expert woman, of whom 

 there were two on duty on this particular night, who 

 first smells and then tastes it. So skilled are these 

 women, who only work for an hour at a time, that 

 they can detect the slightest thing wrong in the 

 quality of the milk. Other samples are taken also 



