FOREIGN DAIRYING. 129 



daily ; the plates, which are of wood, being moistened each 

 time. If they become at all hard they are washed with 

 lukewarm skim milk, with the aid of a brush. When 

 thoroughly drained they are put upon drying shelves until 

 quite dry, and fit for the refining cave ; but before being 

 taken here they are usually passed through some fresh 

 water whatever the season of the year may be. When in 

 the cave, which is a particularly cool cellar, they are 

 washed at least twice a week in summer with a brush, care 

 being taken to remove all mouldiness as it appears ; but 

 the washing is not needed so much as they proceed in the 

 ripening process. 



GERMANY. 



There are a variety of systems in force in the different 

 countries of which this nation is composed, but it is 

 not necessary to refer to any other than the North 

 German one, for in South Germany butter-making as 

 well as cheese-making is conducted in an old fashioned 

 manner, and would afford no instruction to the modern 

 dairy farmer. North Germany is becoming a famous 

 dairy district, more especially since the first factory was 

 built at Kiel, this having been but the precursor of many 

 others which are now in full work in various parts of 

 Sleswig, Holstein, Brunswick, and Hanover. Perhaps the 

 most intelligent portion of North German dairying is in 

 connection with these factories, to which the farmers send 

 their milk for conversion into butter and cheese, and 

 receive a sufficient sum to pay them well for their trouble* 

 Home dairying in Germany is neither advanced nor 

 especially intelligent, and cannot compare with that of 



