28 
Report on the Agriculture of Belgium. 
floor, and in an eye projecting from the back wall of the living- 
room ; the position of the shaft is nearly equidistant between 
the fire-place and the door leading to the cow-house, but 
nearer the latter. The arm of the crane is made as long as 
possible, with a view of its carrying the cauldron into the cow- 
house, even at the expense of the necessity of " fending " it off 
from the projecting corner of the entrance-lobby near the fire- 
place. From the end of this arm the cauldron is suspended by 
a chain at the upper portion, attached to an iron screw-rod which 
works into a female screw in the centre of the cauldron-handle. 
By this arrangement the cauldron can be raised or lowered, 
as required, by turning it round a few times. In this system 
it will be seen that the fire-place is situated at the end of the 
living room opposite to the door leading into the cow-house. 
In the Modern Campine system the fire-place is at the other 
end of the living room, and the entrance to the cow-house is 
through a small iron door at the back of it. Therefore, instead 
of the enormous crane just noticed, only a small but strong iron 
bracket is required ; this is attached close to where the door 
opens, and is sufficient to swing the cauldron from the fire to 
the cow-house, or vice versa. The only relative disadvantage 
possessed by this system is a real danger, namely, of fire ; for 
with the least draught the incandescent wood-ashes, being very 
light, are liable to be blown on to the straw and other easily in- 
flammable materials in the cow-house. The small farmers are 
convinced that the cooking consumes little or no fuel, be- 
cause it is done immediately after the preparation of their own 
meals ! 
On what are termed " model " farms, where the account of 
" profit and loss " is omitted from the ledger, one frequently 
sees steaming and boiling apparatus of the most extensive and 
ingenious description ; but in la petite culture cooking for cows is 
generally done in one of the two ways which we have described ; 
while the labourer-farmers are, of course, reduced to the use of 
the simple saucepan. 
The cold-food system is practised by some of the most intelli- 
gent of the small farmers, by many proprietors, and on most 
large farms. In illustration of it we shall describe the treatment 
of both cows and younger beasts, as well as feeding steers, as 
practised on one of the best farms in the Pays de Waes. This 
farm of 20 acres is the one to which we have referred as main- 
taining 4 cows, 3 heifers and calves, and 5 feeding beasts, assisted 
by hay bought off the water-nleadows, and by the common-right 
to the aftermath during September and October. The cows are 
milked about five o'clock in the morning, and go out between 
five and six on to the little bit of pasture belonging to the farm ; 
