FARMERS' REGISTER 



289 



following is a report of the information slie has 

 obligingly coniniunicated to us respecting the 

 whole economy of the dairy of this I'arni. 



The management of tiie dairy should be con- 

 ducied vviiii ihe greatest regulariiy. Every ope- 

 ration should he perlormed precisely at the proper 

 time. Either hastening or delnying the execu- 

 tion of it will cause cheese of an inlerior quality 

 to be made of milk from which the best may be 

 obtained. A dairy-maid is selected for skill, clean- 

 Hness, and strict attention to her business. Her 

 work commences at lour o'clock in the morning, 

 and continues without intermission till bed-time. 



Dairy house. — The dairy-house should be kept 

 at a temperature of between 50° and 60"; and 

 the drier it is kept the better, as both milk and 

 cream retain their sweetness much longer in dry 

 than in damp air. Ev^ery lime, therelbre, the 

 dairy is washed, it is dried as quickly as possible. 



Around two sides of the dairy, there are broad 

 shelves, made of elm, lor putting the ves-els that 

 hold the milk and cream, and the newly made 

 cheese upon. On another side there is a frame 

 with three large stone cheese-presses. In the 

 middle oi" the north side is the door; and in the 

 corner, on the left, is the stair leading up to the 

 cheese-loiis ; and behind the door is a single 

 cheese-press, which is generally used in pressing 

 the cheese at first time, before it is cut down and 

 put through the mill. In the middle of the floor 

 Bland three leaden vessels, large enough to hold 

 all the whey of one " meal " or milking; and by 

 the side ol' these stands the cheese-tub. 



Above the dairy there ace two cheese-lofts, 

 around the sides of which there are broad shelves 

 /or holding cheeses; and in the middle sinnds a 

 frame ibr holding two rows of boards, called here 

 "checse-lack," which being only about eight 

 inches apart, contain a much greater quantity of 

 cheese than could be disposed on the floor. 'I'lie 

 stair to the cheese-lofts is of oak, and seems to be 

 the pride of the dairy-maid, (or it is dry rubbed 

 and polished so smooth, that it is dangerous to 

 walk upon ; but this sort of pride is encouraged 

 as evincing an atieniion to cleanliness. 



Along the north side of the dairy there is a shed, 

 which communicates with the dwelling house. In 

 this shed the utensils are kept upon a stand Ibr 

 ihe purpose, the cream is churned, and other 

 work perlormed, nothing being done in the dairy, 

 but the making of the cheese and the making up 

 of the butter. 



Opposite to the door of the dairy and detached 

 from the shed, is a wash-house with a pump- 

 well, at the door of it. In this wash-house, the 

 water and the milk are heated in boilers for the 

 purpose ; and all cleaning work is performed. 



Utensils. — The milking-pails are made of ma- 

 ple, on account of the lightness of the wood and 

 lis cleanliness of appearance. They hold about 

 six gallons each, and the cheese-tub is of a size 

 large enough to itold the whole of the milk. The 

 ladder, ihe skimming-dish, and the bowl are ol 

 maple. The sieve for straining the milk is about 

 filteen inches in diameter, and has a hair-cloih 

 bottom. 



There are a number of cheese-vale, sufficient 

 to hold all the cheese made in four or five days. 

 They are made of elm, and turned out of the so- 

 hd. That which gives five cheeses to a cwt., is 

 considered the best size for double Gloucester. 

 Vol. V 11 1— 37 



the inside diameter of which is fifteen inches and 

 a half, and depth, four and a quarter ; and that ia 

 considered the best for sirgle Gloucester, which 

 ixives eight to a cwl., the diameter within, being 

 lilteen inches and a half, and depth, two and a 

 half. I\ound boards, called " suity boards," made 

 of elm, of the diameter of the cheese-vats, and 

 thicker in the middle than at tfie edtres, are occa- 

 sionally necessary to place on the cheeses, when 

 in the "press, if the vats are not quite full. With- 

 out the assistance of these boards, the cheeses 

 Will be round in the edges, (a proof of not being 

 well pressed,) and not so handsome. 



The cheese-presses are made of stone, as being 

 ihe cleanest material Ibr the purpose, and of stea- 

 diest pressure. They weigh about seven cwt. 

 each ; they are raised by a block and tackle ; and 

 the whole apparatus is painted white. 



From the whey leads, which are oblong and 

 about eight inches deep, there are leaden pipes 

 which convey the whey into an under-ground cis- 

 tern, near the pigs' houses, where, by means of a 

 pump, it is raised, when wanted, for the pigs. 

 Leaden keep the whey longer sweet than wooden 

 vessels, and are much easier kept clean. This ia 

 done by scouring them with ashes of wood, and 

 washing them well every time they are emptied, 

 wliich is every thirty-six hours. 



Tin vessels are used in preference to earthen- 

 ware Ibr holding the milk that is set for cream, 

 and also for holding the cream. Those used for 

 the cream hold about four gallons each, and are 

 made with a lip (or the convenience of shifting the 

 cream from one of these vessels into another. 

 This is done once every day during summer ; and 

 there is a wooden slice or knife always kept in the 

 cream vessel, with which the cream is frequently 

 stirred during the da} , to prevent a skin from fbrm- 

 iufj on the top of it, which is injurious to the qua- 

 lity of the butter. The skimminff dish, used lor 

 taking the cream ofl' the milk, diflers from that 

 used in cheese-making, being made of tin, with 

 holes in it, to let the milk run out that maybe 

 taken up with Ihe cream. 



The butter-scales, prints, and butter-boards are 

 of mnple. The boards for making up the butler 

 in halt-pound rolls are about one foot long and 

 nine inches wid^. The barrel-churn is made of 

 the best oak, and orreat attention is paid to its 

 cleanliness. The butter-milk is never allowed to 

 remain in it ; but it is washed, scalded, and put up 

 to drv, as soon as the butter is taken out. 



Milking. — This is perlormed in three separate 

 courts, to which the cows come from their several 

 fields. The milkincs should be as near as possible 

 at equal divisions of the day, commencing at about 

 lour o'clock in the mornin<r and three in the after- 

 noon. To each milker eight cows are assigned, 

 and one man carries the milk from all the milkers 

 to the dairy. The milking should be finished in 

 an hour. The dairy-n^aid sees 'hat the milkers 

 do iheir duty, and that all the cows are milked 

 clean ; for the milk that comes last is the richest ; 

 and, besides, if the cows are not clean milked, 

 there will be a gradual diminution of the milk, 

 perceptible daily : for these reasons the greatest 

 care is taken that the cows are clean milked. 



Cheese making.— The cheese-tub being put in 

 its place in the dairy, the ladder is put across it, 

 and a large thin canvass cloth covers the whole 

 tub and ladder to catch rny of the milk that njay 



