458 CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



The principal obstacle vanished when a copious supply of fresh spring- 

 water was found at an easy depth and attaining even in the hottest 

 summer weather a temperature of not over 10 Celsius. This valuable 

 discovery necessitated the construction of a pump work; but as heating 

 by steam also recommended itself as cheaper, cleaner, and more easily 

 regulated, it was decided to purchase a boiler of six atmospheres and a 

 motor of 4-horse power. The latter pumps water and works the churn, 

 while the steam heats the cheese-vat and warms the entire building. In 

 the cellars especially has the moist, equalized warmth engendered by 

 steam-heatiDg proved unusually favorable to the ripening of the cheese. 



Upon entering the dairy building, which is built in a pleasing style 

 on a small hill in the center of the village, and forms one of its orna- 

 ments, we first come to the vestibule, which serves at the same time 

 for the reception of the milk. According to the regulations milk must 

 be delivered unstrained, as in this state the presence of foreign sub- 

 stances and of impurities can be much more easily detected. It is twice 

 strained, then weighed, and the quantity delivered by each furnisher is 

 credited in his milk-book and also in the register of the association. In 

 the vestibule are also a number of test-glasses, used in determining the 

 percentage of cream which the milk of each furnisher contains. 



At the left of the lobby we enter " das Aufrahmungslokal," a high and 

 well ventilated hall, provided with long cement troughs sunk in the 

 floor. In these the milk vessels, containing 40 liters each, are placed on 

 lath-racks ; the capacity of cooling-troughs is 2,300 liters. The water 

 for feeding them is pumped into cast-iron reservoirs, which are under 

 the roof. 



During the first one and one-half to two hours the water is allowed to 

 flow in and run off with full force, after which no further flow is necessary. 

 According to the method of Swarz the principal process of extracting 

 the cream takes place after two hours and is finished in twenty-four 

 hours ; any farther extraction of the cream, is avoided, as otherwise the 

 cheese loses in weight and becomes thin. 



The cream, which is taken off after twenty-four hours, remains for 

 another twelve hours in cold water, so that it is put into. the churn with 

 a temperature of 10 Celsius. The churn used is an improved Lehfeldt 

 "Kollbutterfass," from the "Centralmolkereimagazin" of F. H. Schmidt, 

 at Munchen. It contains 250 liters of cream and can turn out 50 pounds 

 of butter at a time. The churning process requires forty-five minutes ; 

 the butter is taken out of the churn at 12 Celsius, is left for an hour in 

 fresh water, and then put under the kneading machine. The kneaded 

 butter is then made into rolls of 1 pound each, which are marked with 

 the stamp of the association, packed in wet parchment paper, and then 

 again placed for an hour in quite cold water, after which they are 

 shipped away by post in boxes of 4J kilograms each. The Aichstetten 

 butter has grown greatly in favor on account of its fine taste and of its 

 keeping well. The daily shipment amounts to 75 kilograms, and the 

 demand cannot be supplied. A yield of 3J to 3J kilograms of butter 

 from 100 kilograms of milk is about the highest result obtained. 



At the right of the lobby there is the " Kasereilokal^ where stands a 

 cheese-vat with a capacity of 1,000 liters. It is of wood, copper-bot- 

 tomed, and warmed by steam from below. In manufacturing u Back- 

 stein cheese " the skimmed milk warmed to 33 Celsius is curdled with 

 liquid rennet. The Aichstetten " Backstein" cheese is distinguished, 

 besides its good appearance, by its excellent taste, and, in spite of its 

 being less rich, always brings the highest prices paid for this sort of 

 cheese. 



