THE STATE AS FARMER 



79 



In all our processes it is a general rule 

 that the nearer we can get to nature the 

 better. If we could by the mere application 

 of speed get all our milk to headquarters 

 without interfering too much with its natural 

 heat, we should have a simpler problem before 

 us. We could then treat artificially that 

 portion for which we had orders as whole 

 milk — though there are agencies which set 

 out to deliver the milk warm to the consumer 

 — and deal with the rest in any manner we 

 liked. But we have to decide at the refriger- 

 ating moment what portion of the day's yield 

 we want for cheese and leave it in its natural 

 state. But I must not appear to be lecturing 

 the reader upon cheese-making. I merely 

 want to urge that a good milk valley will 

 provide material for whole-milk, butter, and 

 cheese if we leave the managers to plan out 

 the methods and erect the necessary buildings 

 where they are required. It is so important 

 in the manufacture of cheese that exquisite 

 cleanliness should be observed, that a dairy 

 should be another name for purity such as 

 Listerism denotes. Can we attain this clean- 

 liness as certainly in each of twenty farms 



