360 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK n. 



success. As the farms are as a rule small, and the herds of cows kept 

 equally so, the direct delivery of the milk to the company or factory is 

 not available. We have alluded to this difficulty as existing in this 

 country, and as being one urged by many farmers against the factory 

 system. In Sweden, as also in America, at some of the factories this 

 difficulty is got over by purchasing the cream only, this is known 

 as the " cream-gathering " system, leaving the skim-milk in the 

 farmer's hands to be dealt with as his circumstances may dictate, as 

 in the making of skim-milk cheese, the feeding of calves, pigs, &c. In 

 order to facilitate the collection and disposal of the milk, even of the 

 smallest farms, small " milk receiving houses" are erected at various 

 points. These are fitted up with the appliances necessary to cool the 

 milk, receive and retain the cream, with washing or scalding-room to 

 cleanse the vessels a cheese-making room if necessary and accom- 

 modation for the dairymaid. " This system has," says M. Juhlin- 

 Dannfelt, in the "Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of 

 England," vol. viii., second series (1872), " decidedly promoted the 

 further development of the factor} 7 system, and at the same time 

 opened the way to a useful and profitable branch of industry to those 

 who occupy themselves with collecting pure milk from the smaller 

 farmers, whose produce is too limited to allow the cream obtained from 

 it to be treated in the manner which will make it saleable to the dairy 

 company, or from such larger producers of milk as do not care to take 

 the pains necessary for obtaining the cream, or for the further pre- 

 paration of the skim-milk." 



The importance of cooling the milk as soon as possible after it comes 

 from the cow is fully recognised by the Swedish companies, and means 

 are furnished in each of the " milk receiving houses " for having this 

 process carried out quickly and efficiently. A room is provided with a 

 cold-water cistern, from which is drawn the supply necessary to fill the 

 cooling vats in which the milk-pails are placed. If water cold enough 

 is not obtainable, ice is used to reduce its temperature ; and, indeed, 

 so much more satisfactory are the results of ice-cooling, that it is now 

 generally used. 



As bearing upon various practical points connected with butter- 

 making, &c., we here give a brief resume of the facts detailed in 

 the paper above alluded to. The ice used to cool the water in the 

 supply cistern is broken into pieces some three or four inches square, 

 as the cooling action is found much increased by this. The cooling 

 vats in which the milk-pails are placed are about 9 feet long and 3 feet 

 wide, with a depth of about 2 feet. A false grated bottom is pro- 

 vided to each cistern, and upon this the milk-pails are placed. A 

 vat of the above dimensions is capable of cooling about 115 imperial 

 gallons of milk. The pails were originally about 24 inches deep, and 

 about 18 inches in diameter ; but as it has been found that the quicker 

 the milk is cooled the more completely is the cream separated from it, 

 the size has been reduced to 20 inches in depth and about 9 inches in 

 diameter, so that each holds about 3 gallons. The depth of the iced 

 water in the vats should be such that in summer time it is equal to the 



