30 MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE, 



the dairy-maids to go through their various operations. The floor is sometimes 

 flagged, but oftener of brick neatly fitted, so that no water may lodge in the 

 joints, and always gently inclined, with a grating at the lower end to facilitate 

 the washing of the floor, which is never omitted to be done twice a day, not- 

 withstanding that every source of impurity is guarded against and every drop 

 that may fall at the time of the milk being strained is carefully wiped up. A 

 recent improvement is the dividing the floor uito compartments with brick ledges 

 from three to four inches high, between which the milk-dishes stand ; the lower 

 extremity of these compartments is fitted with a small sluice, and twice a day 

 they are filled with cold water from a pump. Thus the milk is preserved so 

 cool as to prevent all approach to acidity for several hours longer than when 

 placed on a dry floor. In sultry weather a piece of pure ice is sometimes dropped 

 into each milk-pan, or a pailful! of ice is placed in the dairy, which, by absorb- 

 ing the heat, sensibly lowers the atmospheric temperature. 



The best milk-cellars are sunk from three to four feet in the ground ; they are 

 from sixteen to eighteen feet high, with an arched roof, and Uvo rows of win- 

 dows looking north, east and west, to secure a thorough air. The lower range 

 of Avindows consists of wooden trellis-work, provided inside with gauze frames, 

 to exclude insects, and outside with hanging shutters, which can be lowered 

 and elevated at pleasure. The upper range is furnished with glass sashes, which 

 are exchanged lor gauze frames when greater coolness is needed. 



The butter-cellar also is light, airy and cool ; it is likewise sunk in the ground 

 and supplied, by the same means as the milk-cellar, with plenty of pure air. 

 Here the butter, when carried from the churning-house, is worked, salted and 

 packed. The filled butter-casks are ranged on clean boards a little elevated 

 from the floor, to allow of a free passage of air, and are turned and wiped every 

 week. Mcxt in order coines the churning-house, which has much the same ar- 

 rangements as we find common in England. Of late years the perpendicular 

 movement of the churn-staff" has been exchanced for the rotary, which is found 

 to churn in a shorter time, and with less risk of oiling the butter. The cheese- 

 room in these dairies is placed as far as possible from both the milk and the 

 butter-cellars. 



The persons required to conduct the business of the dairy are an overseer, a 

 cooper, one or two cowherds, one or more swineherds, an upper dairy-woman, 

 and dairy-maids in the proportion of one to every eighteen cows. The overseer 

 takes care of the cattle, and is expected to know their diseases and the remedies. 

 He is responsible for the conduct of the swineherd and cowherd, and superin- 

 tends the fatting and rearing of calves. He also sees that the milking is thor- 

 oughly performed. When the number of cows does not exceed a hundred, he 

 also undertakes the cooper's work ; but in large dairies a cooper is kept in addi- 

 tion, who, besides his particular duties, assists in carrying the milk, feeding the 

 cows when housed, &c. The wages of these two persons vary with the extent 

 of the dairy, but may be averaged at sixty dollars for the first and forty for the 

 second per annum. 



The dairy-maids, besides milking, cleaning the vessels, &c., work in the gar- 

 den in summer, spin in winter, and wash, bake, brew and cook for the estab- 

 lishment under the direction of the upper dairy-woman, who is by far the most 

 important personage therein, as on her skill, attention and diligence depend, in a 

 great measere, both the quantity and quality of the product. She must not only 

 thoroughly understand, but accurately observe, the moment when the milk 

 should be creamed ; the degree of acidity it must attain in the cream-barrels ; 

 its temperature, whether requiring the addition of warm or cold water to the 

 churn ; as well as the subsequent operations of kneading, beating, salting and 

 packing the butter. She must be punctiliously clean in her person and work, 

 and require the same cleanliness of her maidens. In large establishments the 

 upper woman has full employment without milking, and even requires assist- 

 ance in her own department; but in smaller dairies she milks about ten cows. 

 Her wages are from fifiy-five to sixty dollars per annum, while her chief assist- 

 ants receive twenty-two and the rest eighteen dollars. 



During summer the dairy people of Holstein rise at three, or even two, in the 

 mornin<r, if the weatiier be very hot ; for which exertion they are allowed two 

 hours' sleep in the middle of the day. The milking is carried on in the field, 



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