268 Report on Swedish Butter Factories. 
transported to butter factories, while the skim-milk was either 
sold in the capital in its crude state, or made into cheese at the 
milk-houses. 
At the commencement of the operations of the Company 
great difficulties were experienced in exercising proper control 
over the treatment of the milk at the several receiving-houses ; 
and they naturally increased as the operations of the Company 
became more extensive. The books having been balanced at 
the close of the first three months' operations, on the 31st of 
December, 1870, it was proved that the results differed at the 
various milk-houses — at some they were profitable, at others 
disadvantageous. The latter result had probably been caused, 
partly by disregard of the rules for the treatment of the milk 
after delivery, and partly by insufficient check as to the quality 
of the milk delivered. The Company therefore decided that 
its operations should be confined to the purchase and working 
of cream — not of milk — leaving it to the producer or purchaser of 
the latter to utilise the skim-milk in the manner which, under 
different local circumstances, he might consider most profitable. 
This step has proved to be very advantageous to all parties 
concerned. It has decidedly promoted the further development 
of the factory-system, and at the same time opened the way to 
a useful and profitable branch of industry to those who occupy 
themselves with collecting pure milk from the smaller farmers — 
whose produce is too limited to allow the cream obtained from 
it to be treated in the manner which will make it saleable to 
the Dairy Company, — or from such larger producers of milk 
as do not care to take the pains necessary for obtaining the 
cream, or for the further preparation of the skimmed milk. 
Collection and treatment of the Milk. — Experience has proved 
that cream cannot generally be kept longer than fifty hours in 
the summ.er, and from seventy to eighty hours in the winter, 
without affecting the quality of the butter. The butter factories 
of the Miliar Lake, and other companies, do not receive less than 
10 "kannor" (=5"76 imperial gallons) at the time, for reasons 
mentioned below. The consequence is, therefore, that ^ farmer 
whose herd does not number at least 20 cows cannot deliver the 
cream direct to the Company. The greater part of the country 
being divided into small farms, on which the number of cattle 
does not reach this minimum, the Company has established 
milk-houses in large villages or other suitable localities, thus 
giving even the smallest farmer an opportunity to dispose of 
his produce advantageously. 
The milk is carried, or otherwise transported, to these places 
every night and morning, immediately after milking, from the 
farms not more than IJ English mile distant. It is first mea- 
