AND RURAL ECONOMIST. 



83 



kept more easily clean than wooden vessels ; and their su- 

 perior power of conducting heat cools the milk so rapidly 

 that the Scottish farmers' wives, who have given them a fair 

 trial, affirm that they throw up one-third more cream from an 

 equal quantity of milk."^ Cast iron vessels, without being 

 tinned, would give no poisonous quality to the milk, but they 

 might render the produce of the dairy unpalatable. 



' All dairy utensils ought to be most carefully scoured, 

 first with hot water, and afterwards rinsed with cold, and 

 kept in an airy place, in order that every possible degree of 

 acidity majr be removed, bnould one or two scourings be 

 insufficient, they must be repeatedly cleansed until they be- 

 come entirely sweet, as the slightest taint or acidity may 

 cause material loss.'t Slate, according to some accounts, 

 makes very good milk coolers, and perhaps freestone might 

 answer as well. 



The quality and quantity of cows' milk greatly depends 

 on the nature of their food. Potatoes, carrots, and parsnips 

 are recommended as causing cows to give excellent milk ; 

 and mangel-wurtzel is highly spoken of for the same purpose. 

 Cabbages, if sound, answer an excellent purpose, but the de- 

 cayed leaves give a bad taste to the milk. It is thought 

 best to milk cows three times a day if fully fed, and great 

 caution should be exercised by the persons employed to 

 draw the milk from them completely, not only to increase the 

 quantity of produce, but to preserve its quality. Any por- 

 tion which may be left in the udder seems gradually to be 

 absorbed into the system, and no more is formed than enough 

 to supply the loss of what is taken away ; and by the con- 

 tinuance of the same mode a yet farther diminution takes 

 place, until at length scarcely any is produced. This last 

 mode of milking is practised when it is intended to render a 

 cow dry. 



' After the milk is drawn from the cow, it should be care- 

 fully strained through a linen cloth or a hair sieve, (Dr. An- 

 derson prefers a sieve made of silver wires, on account of its 

 superior wholesomeness,) into the cream dishes, which should 

 never exceed three inches in depth, though they may be 

 made so wide as to contain any quantity required, and which 

 ought to be perfectly clean, sweet, and cool. If any ill flavor 

 is apprehended from the cows having eaten tu;nips, &c., the 

 addition of one-eighth part of boiling water to the milk be- 



* Agricultural Report of Scotland. f Complete Grazier. 



