374 THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 



and this is always better done by them than we can 

 expect from a hked servant. Sir John Sinclair justly 

 remarks, that no branch of husbandry requires such 

 constant and unremitting attention. " If," says he, " a 

 few spoonsful of milk are left in the udder of the cow 

 at milking ; if any of the implements used in the 

 dairy be allowed to be tainted by neglect ; if the dairy- 

 house be kept dirty, or out of order ; if the milk is 

 either too hot or too cold at coagulation ; if too much 

 or too little rennet is put into the milk ; if the whey is 

 not speedily taken off; if too much or too little salt is 

 applied ; if the butter is too slowly or too hastily 

 churned ; or if other minute attentions are neglected, 

 the milk will be in a great measure lost. If these nice 

 operations," continues Sir John, " occurred only once 

 a month, or once a week, they might be easily guarded 

 against ; but as they require to be observed during 

 every stage of the process, and almost every hour 

 of the day, the most vigilant attention must be kept up 

 throughout the whole season. This is not to be ex- 

 pected from hired servants.*' 



MAKING BUTTER. 



Another important branch of the dairy system, is the 

 making butter; an art which appears to have been the in- 

 vention not of the Greeks or Romans, but of the ancient 

 Germans and Britons. With regard to the good or bad 

 qualities of butter, a great deal has been always as- 

 cribed to the pasturage of different farms or districts. 

 Recent observations and experiments, however, show 

 that much less depends upon this than has been com- 



