498 CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



ter to be brought on the London market in perfectly sound condition ; 

 and it is now earnestly hoped by the agricultural community that the 

 so long desired step in futherance of a fuller development of this im- 

 portant branch of their interests may iii the very near future be carried 

 out in one way or another with successful results. 



HENRY B. RYDER, 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE, Consul. 



Copenhagen, September 29, 1885. 



UNION DAIRIES IN DENMARK, 



REPORT EY CONSUL RYDEM, OF COPENHAGEN. 



I have herewith the honor to present a report on a subject which is 

 being much discussed in agricultural circles here, as to the advantages 

 or otherwise derived by the class of small landed proprietors, in con- 

 nection with their relations to the present extensively developed sys- 

 tem of union dairies. 



It is now taken for granted that butter produce, in so far as it may 

 be intended for exports, must be packed in casks of a net weight of 75 

 to 100 pounds, and that it is useless to maintain that the butter is 

 equally as good whether it is sold in half firkins or in packages of larger 

 size, for the simple reason that so long as English customers demand 

 the larger packing, so long it will be necessary to comply with their 

 wishes. The small producers thus find themselves unable to complete 

 the delivery of their butter in such large packages without incurring 

 the risk of finding .the lower contents losing its freshness before the 

 packing can be completed, and are compelled to choose between two 

 modes of procedure viz, either they must dispose of their milk to the 

 union dairies, which collect their supplies from many small producers, 

 working the same under one system and producing butter therewith on 

 a large scale, by which means butter can be packed and brought into the 

 trade exactly in the same way as from the large estates, or it is left to 

 these small producers to pack their own butter, selling it in small jars to 

 the neighboring dealer, who purchases butter in these small packages 

 for the purpose of repacking after careful sorting into casks of the 

 required size, and then bringing them into the trade for export. 



This last method, in order to meet with successful results, demands 

 that the butter production amongst the small farmers shall have at- 

 tained such development as to admit of a sufficient supply of good and 

 uniform character being obtainable, so that the dealer, with careful se- 

 lection, will be enabled to offer this jar butter when repacked in casks, 

 in the same good uniform condition as butter of first class quality from 

 the large estates. 



The Union Dairies, in the beginning of their career, had many diffi- 

 culties to contend with in their attempts to produce butter of good 

 quality ; but with the introduction and great; development of the cen- 

 trifuge system, these obstacles mav now be said to be removed, inas- 

 much as the centrifuge can thoroughly separate the cream from the milk 

 in a short time, even in such instances as where the milk may have lost 

 much of its freshness from the longer period which may have elapsed 

 during the lengthened stage of its transport to the dairy. Owing to 

 this improved system of working the milk, the Union Dairies have 

 largely developed during the last four years in all parts of the King- 

 dom, and such sanguine expectations are entertained of their.operations 



