558 



DAIRY. 



Duiry. 



The ewe. 



Allti-ions 

 to ewe 

 mi kmg. 



T!ie goat. 



The mare. 

 T.ie ass. 



Woman's 



Reiudecr. 



Varieties 



of milk. 



d cowf. 



^ Though cheese be generally made from the milk of 

 the cow, yet there are other animals from whose milk 

 it can, and indeed frequently is procured. The Scotch 

 make cheese from the milk of the ewe, and it is in con- 

 siderable esteem for its rich, sharp, agreeable, flavour. 

 The curd of ewe's milk lias a fat viscid appearance, and 

 is not so easily brought to assume a firm consistence as 

 the curd of cow's milk. 



It would appear that the practice of milking ewes, 

 though still followed in many parts of Scotland, was 

 much more prevalent there formerly than it is at pre- 

 sent. Few customs are oftener alluded to in all the old 

 pastoral ballads and songs of the country. The allu- 

 sions to it in the " Gentle Shepherd," are well known, 

 and in the beautiful ballads of " The Flowers of theFo- 

 j-est," and " Ewe bughts, Marion." 



Goats' milk, when the cream is separated, coagulates 

 with the same facility as cows' milk, and yields a larger 

 proportion of curd. It makes very excellent high-fla- 

 .youred cheese, of a meagre appearance, but delicate re- 

 lish ; it resembles Parmesan. Frequently a portion of 

 ewes' or goats' milk is added to the cows' milk, and is 

 thought by many to improve the cheese veiy much. 

 Mares' milk, when creamed, coagulates precisely as 

 cows' mill?, but the curd is not so abundant : The Tar- 

 tars make clieese of it. From asses' milk, alcohol and 

 acids separate a small proportion of curd, which has 

 but little consistence, and could not be easily made into 

 cheese. 



Womans' milk cannot be coagulated by any of the 

 methods employed in coagulating the milk of the cow ; 

 yet there can be no doubt that it contains curd ; for if 

 it be boiled, pellicles form on its surface, which have all 

 the properties of curd ; and it evidently coagulates in the 

 stomachs of infants, as appears from what they occa- 

 sionally eject by vomiting. Probably the cause of its 

 not coagulating in the usual way, is the great quantity 

 of water with which it is diluted. 



The Laplanders make both butter and cheese of the 

 milk of the rein-deer. 



Not only does the milk of one genus of animal differ 

 from that of another ; but the milk of different varieties, 

 and individuals of the same species, is found to be very 

 different. The variety, or breed of the cow, therefore, 

 which we employ on a cheese farm, is of much conse- 

 quence ,• and every judicious farmer will take care to 

 have that sort of cow which experience has shewn to be 

 the best. In selecting or rearing his cow stock, he will 

 have regard not only to the quantity and quality of the 

 milk they afford, but to a third circumstance, namely, 

 the fitness of the animal in point of hardiness for the si- 

 tuation in which it is to be placed. In this last respect 

 the long-horned breed are much better than the short- 

 homed, and most of the Scotch kinds are probably su- 

 perior to either. The Aldemey cow is highly esteemed. 

 From the milk of this sort, Mr Marshall made cheese of 

 a texture almost as close and firm as bees- wax, and near- 

 ly as high coloured. They were as different in quality 

 and appearance from the produce of the long-horned 

 co w as if they had been a distinct species of animals. In- 

 ch vidual cows also, of the same kind or variety, differ 

 greatly m the quality no less than the quantity of their 

 milk. * J 



The average quantity in the principal cheese districts 

 may be stated at eight to twelve quarts a day ; but this 



must obviously vary according to the mode of feeding Dairy. 

 and treatment, even in the same animal. Many cows """— v"™""' 

 will give twice the quantity above stated for a short pe- Avera K e 

 riod ; but then they either soon go oft' their milk, or it mUk from 

 has less richness than that of others. a cow. 



Pasture has also been thought to have great influence . „ 

 on the quality of milk, and consequently on the cheese of pa , ture 

 made from it. It is commonly believed that old lands, 

 that is, such as have been long out of tillage, produce milk 

 which gives the best and the largest quantity of butter, 

 and that such as have been more recently laid down in 

 grass are the best for cheese. " The same cow," says 

 Mr Rudge, in his Survey of Gloucestershire, " on two 

 pastures, separated only by a hedge, will give milk of 

 different qualities ; from one shall be made fine rich and 

 close cheese, while from the other shall be made rank, 

 heaving,, hollow cheese, unpleasant to the palate, and 

 unfit for the market." He tells us, that in the parish of 

 Haresfield, two grounds adjoining each other were used 

 alternately for the pasture of some cows; and that 

 while they were on the one, excellent cheese was made 

 from them, but, on the other, it was difficult to make 

 any that was tolerably good. The one was old pasture, 

 and the other had been lately dressed with manure, and 

 under tillage. 



It is perfectly conceivable that there may be plants Noxious 

 which thrive in new pastures, but disappear in the old ; plant'. 

 and we know that there are plants which, when eaten 

 by t^e cows, greatly affect the nature of their milk. 

 Wild garlic, for example, and the brassica rapa, or com- 

 mon turnip, give a disagreeable flavour to both butter 

 and cheese ; * and there may be many others, which, 

 though not so palpable in their effects, are also noxi- 

 ous. White clover, (trifolium repem,) and almost all 

 the species of crow-foot, (ranunculus,) are thought to be 

 of this sort. But though we allow to certain pastures 

 some effect in determining the quality as well as the 

 quantity of the miu- , still we are fully persuaded that 

 far more depends on the management of the operator, 

 than on this circumstance, in the production of good 

 cheese. This is the opinion of the acute and experien- 

 ced Dr Anderson, and we have had ourselves such op- 

 portunities of observing the effects of different sorts of 

 management, that we have no doubt whatever of the 

 justness of his sentiments. He well remarks, that man- 

 kind are always ready to lay the blame of failure on 

 any thing rather than their own misconduct. 



Of all the parts of dairy management, cleanliness is Cleanliness 

 the most indispensible. " It is indeed," says Mr Do- 

 naldson, " not only necessary in dairy-husbandry, but 

 the very foundation of it. A farmer may be in possession 

 of the most valuable breed of cows, and these be fed in 

 the richest pastures ; but unless cleanliness prevail in 

 the dairy, his butter or his cheese will never stand high 

 in general estimation." Cleanliness chiefly consists in 

 regularly scalding, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying the 

 floors, shelves, and different implements used, so as 

 to prevent acidity. 



The quantity of cheese produced from a given num- Quantity 

 ber of cows, is differently stated in different districts. of cheese 

 Some think 2| cwt. from each cow, a good average 

 annual return. Others vary the estimate from this 

 to 4 cwt. Mr Rudge, in his Agricultural Report of 

 Gloucestershire, states the annual produce of each cow 



from a cow. 



at 



3^ to 4! cwt. 



The annual produce of a dairy 



♦Wn !!. IS " 0W w * be I ,ievc ascertained, and pretty generally known, that a small quantity of (Saltpetre, added to the milk while warm 

 from the cow, cnUrely removes the disagreeable flavour arising from the use of turnip. 



