174 Large and Small Holdings 



to this serious difficulty if he wishes to take up dairy-farming. He 

 must pay very high wages, and even then not obtain anything like 

 the work which he admires in the small holder and his family, and 

 which is the fundamental condition of success in this direction. 



Nor is it only in the actual milking that the qualitative intensity 

 of the work of the small holder and his family is so essential. The 

 same demand is made by the other work of the dairy, and especially 

 by butter and cheese-making. Professor Sheldon points out that it is 

 desirable in the interests of cleanliness that the maid who does the 

 churning should also undertake the milking. But this is only possible, 

 as he says, in a small dairy. On a larger farm the most she can do is 

 to supervise the milking so as to see that it is done with as much 

 regard to cleanliness as possible. It is above all things necessary that 

 she should have a real sense of responsibility. " Herein lies the reason 

 why farmers' wives are, as a rule, the best dairymaids they feel the 

 responsibility, and take a pride and an interest in their work," as the 

 Professor puts it 1 . The same thing is seen in the case of cheese- 

 making, and especially in the classic country of English cheese-making, 

 namely Cheshire 2 . The best economic results are produced where no 

 outside labour is employed, but the cheese is made by the farmer and 

 his wife themselves. It is their personal interest in the work which 

 leads the small holders positively to enjoy those details which the 

 hired labourer regards as most irksome : and which produces effort of 

 a qualitative intensity which wage-labour can never attain, but which 

 is very necessary in the branches of production in question. 



The large holding has, it is true, some advantages over the small 

 even in this sphere ; such as slightly, though only slightly, to lessen the 

 superiority of the latter. In the production of milk the large farmer 

 has only one thing in his favour ; namely, a lower cost of transport. 

 The small holder, owning from one to six cows, is at a great dis- 

 advantage in regard of the marketing of his milk : so much so that it 

 is often the large farmer only who supplies the great central markets. 

 The case is the same as with the transport of fruit and vegetables. 

 Most railway companies have tariffs for the transport of milk with rates 

 diminishing as the quantity sent increases. Thus to send anything 

 up to 12 gallons from Westmorland to certain districts costs is., while 

 every further gallon costs \d. only. Taking the average yield per cow 

 per day as ij gallons, the owner of six cows will have to pay is. per 

 day for the transport of his milk. But the owner of twelve cows will 



1 Sheldon, The Farm and the Dairy ^ p. 72. 



2 Brodrick, op. cit. p. 397. 



