146 THE OX AND THE DAIHY. 



on which the cows stand. This gutter slopes towards a sink 

 covered with an iron grate, which communicates, by a broad 

 arched drain, with a vaulted tank, into which all the liquid^ 

 flows. The gutter is washed twice a day before the cows are * 

 milked. The cows stand or lie on a sloping brick floor, and 

 have but a small quantity of litter allowed them, which is 

 removed every day, and carried to the dung-heap, or the 

 pig-sties, to be more fully converted into manure. In Holland 

 the cows' tails are kept up by a cord tied to the end of them, 

 which passes over a pully with a weight at the other end, 

 as we see (used to see) practised with horses that have been 

 nicked ; thus they cannot hit themselves or the person who 

 milks them. (We do not see anything in this practice very 

 commendable.) The manner in which the cows are fastened 

 is worthy of notice : Two slight pillars of strong wood are 

 placed perpendicularly, about two feet distant from each 

 other, so that the cow can readily pass her head between 

 them ; in each of these is an iron ring, that runs freely up 

 and down, and has a hook in its circumference ; two small 

 chains pass from these hooks to a leathern strap, which 

 buckles round the neck of the cow. Thus the cow can rise 

 and lie down, and move forward to take her food, which is 

 placed in a low manger between the two pillars ; but she 

 cannot strike her neighbour with her horns. The mangers, 

 or troughs, are of wood, or of bricks cemented together, and 

 are kept as clean as all the rest of the cow-house." The food 

 is brought in carts, which are driven at once between the 

 cows, whose mangers are thus conveniently supplied ; what 

 is not wanted is stored above, and when wanted is readily 

 thrown down before the cows. By this plan much trouble is 

 saved, and one man can attend to many animals. From 

 November till May the cows never leave the cow-house. In 

 summer, when they are out, if they are in adjacent pastures, 

 they are driven home to be milked ; but if the pastures are 

 far off, which is sometimes the case, they are milked there, 

 and the milk is brought home in boats : but this is not thought 

 so good for the butter, which is then always churned from the 

 whole milk, without taking the cream-rise. The finest and 

 best-flavoured butter is always made from the cream as fresh 

 as possible ; and to make it rise well the milk should be set 

 as soon as it is drawn, and agitated as little as possible. The 

 greatest quantity is seldom obtained when the quality is the 

 finest. When great attention is paid to the quality, the milk 



