78 THE STATE AS FARMER 



not far away from State interference in the 

 matter, and therefore not far from a general 

 admission that my claim for State farming 

 is wise. If everyone could see the risks they 

 run — and dirt affects cheese prejudicially as 

 well as milk — and the horrors from which 

 the State is endeavouring to guard them in 

 a gingerly way, there would be such an 

 uprising that the necessary machinery of 

 cleanliness could not be provided in sufficient 

 haste. But when we remember that the 

 best place for milking is in the field, we must 

 also keep in mind that a sufficient number 

 of cooling stations may have to be provided 

 along the collector's route. This part of 

 the work has hitherto been carried out by 

 the farmer, and the milk supply societies 

 have been content to make regulations and 

 institute tests. When we reach a better 

 system and can treat a district as if it were 

 one large farm, we shall be able to simplify 

 procedure and at the same time reduce tests 

 to a minimum, because the new theory of 

 farming will be how to produce the best milk, 

 not how to escape or pass the inspector's 

 test. 



