276 



The. Dairy. 



Vol. III. 



Fig. 35.— Section of a Milk House through the line a. b. 



Fig. 36. — Plan of a Milk House with its necessary appurtenances. 



of the milk had been treated alike.* This, 

 therefore, is the practice that 1 should think 

 most likely to suit the frugal farmer, as his 

 butter, though of a superior quality, could be 

 afforded at a price that would always insure 

 it a rapid sale. 



From these general observations on milk, 

 it is necessary we should proceed to particu- 

 lars. No dairy can be managed with profit, 

 unless a place properly adapted for keeping 

 the milk, and for carrying on the different 

 operations of the dairy, be first provided. The 

 necessary requisites of a good milk-house are, 

 that it be cool in summer, and warm in win-, 

 ter, so as to preserve a temperature nearly 

 the same throughout the whole year; and 

 that it be dry, so as to admit of being kept 

 clean and sweet at all times. As it is on 

 most occasions difficult to contrive a place 



* Amon;; other reasons that induced mo to separate 

 about the half of the milk, the following maybe stated. 

 Whilst I was employed in niakinf; the experiments on 

 n)ilk abovementioned, it chanced that among my cows 

 there was one which had missed having a calf that 

 season, and still continued to give milk, (a cow in these 

 circumstances we here call a farrow or farm cow.) 

 Her milk, as is not uncommon in these circumstances, 

 ta.sted sensibly salt. On trying the different parcels 

 of that milk, however, it was perceived that the tirst- 

 drawn milk was e.vtreniely salt to the taste, and that 

 the last was perfectly swei't. On an after trial, made 

 with the view to ascertain what proportion of the 

 niilk was salt, it was found thai the saltnc'ss decreasiil 

 gradually from the J»eginning, and was entirely gone 

 when nearly one half of the milk was drawn otV, so 

 that all the last-drawn half of the milk was quite .sweet. 

 I intended to have tried if other nan.seous tastes 

 that sometimes afject milk, such as that from tiirneps, 

 cabbages, &.c., were peculiiirly coiilined to the lirst- 

 drawn milk or not; but other avucaliuiis prevented 

 me from ascertaining tliis fact. 



within the dwelling-house that can possess all 

 these requisites, I would advise that a sepa- 

 rate building should be always erected, which, 

 upon the plan I shall now describe, may in 

 every situation be reared at a very small ex- 

 pense, and will answer the purpose much bet- 

 ter than any of those expensive structures I 

 have seen for this use. 



This structure ought, if possible, to be 

 erected near to a cool spring, or running wa- 

 ter, where easy access can be had to it by 

 the cows, and where it is not liable to be in- 

 commoded by stagnant water. It should con- 

 sist of a range of narrow buildings as in the 

 plan ; that divi.sion in the middle, marked 

 A, being the milk-house properly so called. 

 The walls of this building should be reared 

 of brick, or of stone and lime, all round the 

 inside; this wall need not exceed in thick- 

 ness one brick in length, or if of stone, about 

 one foot thick; beyond that, the wall, which 

 is full six feet in thickness, should be made 

 of sod on the outside, and earth rammed firm 

 wiihin tliat. The inside wall of this build- 

 ing may be seven or eight feet high in the 

 sides, on which may be placed the couples to 

 support the roof, and the walls at the gables 

 carried up to the height of the couples. 

 Upon these should be laid a roof of reeds, or 

 thatch, that should not be less than three feet 

 in thickness, which should be produced down- 

 ward till it covers the whole of the walls on 

 each side; but here, if thatch or reeds be not 

 in such plenty as could be wished, there is 

 no occasion for laying it quite so thick. la 



