THE COW. 109 



cheese-farm, by three o'clock on a summer's morning 

 the cows are in the yard, and the dairy-women at work. 

 The milkers are generally the wives and daughters of 

 the farm labourers, being hired for this special purpose. 

 The morning's milking over, these women retire to 

 their other occupations, many of them being employed 

 elsewhere in different labours ; and they do not return 

 till about four o'clock in the afternoon, that being, in 

 summer, the general hour for the evening's milking. 



After milk has stood a few hours, cream rises to the 

 surface. This is skimmed off for several purposes, but 

 chiefly to be made into butter, which is done by beating 

 it in a vessel called a churn. This process requires to 

 be very carefully performed. When freed from the 

 remaining milk, it is called fresh butter, and to preserve 

 it sweet, it requires to be salted, which is usually done 

 with common salt. The best butter is that made during 

 the summer, but its appearance and flavour are given 

 to butter made in winter. 



The dairies and buildings attached to them are larger 

 and more commodious in Wiltshire than in any other 

 county. Here no butter is sold : a portion of the milk 

 sufficient to produce butter for family use is taken and 

 set for cream ; but the skim milk is never added to 

 that from which the cheese is made. 



