184  Notes  on  Continental  Poultry-keeping. 
the  “ kitchen-passage,”  where  the  churning  is  done,  is  an  ice- 
cellar,  but  its  capacity  is  obviously  insufficient  for  the  annual 
requirements  of  the  dairy.  Therefore  in  the  winter  a bay  in 
the  barn  is  well  lined  with  straw,  so  that  when  subject  to  the 
full  weight  of  the  ice  it  shall  be  at  least  a foot  thick  ; the  ice 
being  stowed  is  then  covered  with  a similar  layer  of  straw,  and 
thus  can  be  kept  with  little  loss  until  another  supply  can  be 
obtained.  On  most  well-regulated  farms  it  is  desired  to  make 
up  every  winter  the  supply  of  ice  to  a quantity,  sufficient  to  last 
two  years,  so  as  to  provide  against  the  contingency  of  a “ green 
winter.” 
Another  point  worthy  of  notice  is  the  manner  in  which  the 
various  “ cheese-rooms  ” or  “ cheese-cellars  ” are  divided  and 
separated  from  one  another.  Thus  there  are  two  with  separate 
entrances,  but  which  can  be  warmed  by  one  stove  set  in  the 
partition  wall ; then  there  are  again  two,  leading  from  one  to 
the  other,  where  heat  is  not  so  much  an  object  as  a certain 
amount  of  dampness.  In  the  first  of  these  is  an  ordinary 
copper,  by  means  of  which  the  air  can  be  made  sufficiently 
moist,  if  need  be,  to  insure  the  development  of  th e fungi  which 
are  essential  to  the  proper  ripening  of  Brie  and  Camembert 
cheeses  in  their  first  stage,  and  beyond  is  the  room  for  curing 
the  whey-cheese,  which  may  be  isolated  from,  or  connected  with, 
the  room  just  mentioned,  as  the  circumstances  of  the  season 
require.  It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  the  arrangements  for 
admitting  or  excluding  light  and  air  are  both  simple  and 
effective,  nor  that  every  window  and  ventilating  aperture  is  also 
fitted  with  wire  gauze  to  prevent  the  incursions  of  flies,  which 
are  the  greatest  nuisance  with  which  the  dairywoman  has  to 
contend,  especially  during  the  curing  of  fine  soft  cheeses.  As 
on  all  dairy-farms,  the  cheese-rooms  are  kept  carefully  locked, 
and  on  entrance  to  them  you  are  politely  requested  to  be  quick 
in  your  movements,  so  that  the  door  may  be  rapidly  closed  after 
you,  and  no  flies  admitted  to  leave  a souvenir  of  your  visit. 
VI.  — Notes  on  Continental  Poultry  -keeping.  By  H.  M. 
JENKINS,  F.G.S.,  Secretary  of  the  Society  and  Editor  of  the 
‘ Journal.’ 
The  Journal  Committee  have  desired  me  to  draw  up  a short 
paper  on  Continental  Poultry-keeping,  as  supplementary  to  Mr. 
Pope’s  article  “ On  the  Poultry  of  the  Farm,”  and  to  Mr.  Druce’s 
description  of  “ A Poultry  Farm  in  Huntingdonshire,”  both 
