87 



especially, would ever venture to eat it ? An out- 

 house, clean, cool and dry, even if it should be but 

 four feet square, is an appendag-e which the very 

 poorest of you should contrive to have for your milk 

 and butter. The floor, shelves and stools of which 

 should lie almost daily washed with hot water, then 

 dried, and aired. 



In most places cows ai"e milked l)ut twice a day, 

 but in some of the best manag-ed dairies, where they 

 are abundantly fed, many of them will require to be 

 milked at noon also. But it is said that milk so drawn 

 will be inferior in quality, as twelve hours are required 

 for the due preparation of the milk in the cow; 

 whatever be your times of milking-, however, be sure 

 to draw the milk completely otT. By the way, the 

 business of milking- should be performed very gently, 

 otherwise it becomes a painful operation. Instances 

 occur in which cows will not let down a drop of milk 

 to a harsh, cross-grained milker, who will let it flow 

 in alnindance when a mild good-tempered dairy-maid 

 approaches them. For the same reason, when cows 

 are ticklish they should be treated with the most 

 soothing- gentleness, and never with harshness or se- 

 verity ; and when the udder is hard and painful, it 

 should be tenderly fomented with luke-warm water, 

 and rubbed gently ; by which expedient the cow will 

 be brought into good temper, and Avill yield her milk 

 without restraint. It sometimes happens that the teats 

 of cows l)ecoiae hurt and sore, and the milk foul ; when- 

 ever this is the case, such milk should not be mixed 

 with any other, nor even carried into the dairy. 



Dr. Anderson gives these maxims with regard to 

 the management of milk : — 



-- 1. Of the milk drawn from any cow at one time, 

 that part which comes ofi" at the first is always thin- 

 ner, and of a worse quality for making butter, than 

 that afterwards obtained ; and this richness continues 

 to increase progressively to the last drop that can be 

 drawn from the uddex\ 



