DAIRY HUSBANDRY. THE DAIRIES OF HOLSTEIN. 33 



costly, and require constant watching, lest they should require re-tinnin<j. The 

 zinc pans are yet but little known, and their value not sufficiently proved. Cast- 

 iron lined with enamel are durable and very clean, but too expensive. Glass pans 

 have many opponents on account of their brittleness. The testimony of Mr. Carr, 

 however, is decidedly in favor of tins material. He says that in his dairy (which 

 is supplied by ISO cows,") the glass vessels have been used for four years. They 

 are sixteen inches broad at the top, and twelve at the bottom: the glass is dark 

 bottle-green, transparent and perfectly smooth, about one-eighth of an inch thick, 

 and furnished with a round rim at the upper edge, Avhich makes it easy to retaia 

 a safe hold of them even when full. They would contain eight quarts, but never 

 receive more than six. " They cost eight-pence apiece, and their durability may 

 be estimated by the fact that, to encourage carefulness, each dairy-maid is 

 allowed one dollar extra as pan-money, being bound at the same time to pay ten- 

 pence for each one she breaks ; yet hitherto," says Mr. Carr, " no girl has broken 

 to the extent of her dollar." The great advantage of these vessels is in the saving 

 of time, fuel and labor they effect, for they merely require to be washed in luke- 

 warm water, then rinsed in cold water, and put in a rack to dry. Supposing,* 

 therefore, (which Mr. Carr does not admit,) that the milk, during summer, be- 

 comes sour sooner, and consequently throws up less cream, in glass than in wood, 

 this disadvantage would be more than counterbalanced by the diminished expend- 

 iture of glass vessels ; for, of course, where time and labor are saved, the number 

 of domestics may be lessened. 



Cow-houses in Holstein are generally twice as long as broad, and calculated 

 for four cows lengthwise, standing head to head, with passages between, floored 

 with brick, and furnished with feeding and drinking troughs. One passage, if 

 not both, is broad enough to admit a loaded hay-wagon, and is provided with 

 large folding doors at each end, while there is also room behind the cattle suffi- 

 cient to permit the manure being sledged out with a horse without incommoding 

 them. The lofty roof affords accommodation for hay and straw, which helps to 

 keep the house warm in winter ; the doors are kept shut as much as possible 

 during that season, sufficient light being admitted by small glazed windows. 

 The quantity of food which can be afforded to cows during winter is ascertained 

 as soon as the harvest returns are known. In plentiful seasons the calculation 

 is that each cow should be allowed three sacks of grain, (generally oats, 140 

 pounds each sack,) 3,900 pounds of straw, including bedding, and 1,800 pounds 

 of good hay ; while for every hundred pounds of hay less, she receives twenty- 

 five pounds of grain more, or vice versa. 



There are three distinct breeds of cattle in the Duchies — the native cow, the 

 marsh cow, and the Jutland cow. The first is middle-sized, with fine head and 

 horns, and moderately thick neck ; the color generally red or brown, though often 

 yellow, black, or spotted. The District of Angeln produces the finest specimens 

 of these cows, which are considered to yield more milk in proportion to the food 

 they require than any other kind. The marsh cows are large-boned, generally 

 red, and require luxuriant pasture. They thrive well in the marshy delta of 

 the Elbe, giving from twenty-four to thirty-two, or even forty quarts, when in 

 full-milk, daily ; but the return of butter is much smaller, and of inferior quality 

 to that of the Angeln cattle. The Jutland cow is fine in bone, rather lengthy 

 than deep in body, but not generally long-legged. The usual colors are gray, 

 dun, or black, or' either of these spottedwith white. They are distinguished 

 for fattening easily, and are not much prized for dairy purposes. 



The average quantity of milk obtained from good slock is estimated at from 

 2,000 to 3,000 quarts per annum, according to the food and care bestowed on the 

 cows. The produce has been calculated thus: every 100 pounds of milk will 

 give 3i pounds of butter, 6 pounds of fresh cheese, 14 pounds of buttermilk, (ex- 

 clusive of the water added before and after churning,) and 76 pounds of whey ; 

 and though the different circumstances affecting the cows cause a great variety 

 in the results, still it is considered a fair average that fifteen quarts of milk are 

 required for a pound of butter ; for although from some cows a pound may be ob- 

 tained from twelve quarts, yet others, and even the same cows at different sea- 

 sons, and with different food, (such as beet, or raw potatoes,) will not produce a 

 pound of butter from less than seventeen or eighteen quarts. On the whole, it is 

 esteemed a fair return, in these Duchies, when the average produce of the dairy 

 amounts to 100 pounds of butter, and 150 pounds of cheese, per cow. 

 (81) 3 



