DAIRY ; DAIRY FARMS. A dairy-house should be situated on a dry spot somewhat elevated, on the side of a gentle declivity, and on a porous soil. It should be on the west or north-west side of a hill if possible, or at least sheltered from the north, east, and south, by high trees. Coolness in summer, and an equa ble temperature in win'er, are essential requi sites in a dairy.
The following description of a Netherland cow-house and dairy under one roof combines all that is useful, with considerable neatness internally and externally :—It is a building about sixty feet long by thirty wide, with a verandah running round three sides of it. The dairy-room is sunk below the level of the soil, and is paved with brick. The sides are covered with Dutch-tiles, and the arched roof with hard cement. The cow-house, like all in Holland, has a broad passage in the middle, and the cows stand with their heads towards this passage, which is paved with clinkers, or bricks set on edge. Their tails are towards the wall, along which runs a broad gutter sunk six or eight inches below the level of the place on which the cows stand. The cows stand or lie on a sloping brick floor, and have but a small quantity of litter allowed them, which is removed every day and carried to the dung heap or to the pig-sties. Whenever the litter is removed, the bricks are swept clean ; and in summer they are washed with water. In Holland the cows' tails are kept up by a cord tied to the end of them, which passes over a pulley with a weight at the other end, as we see practised with horses that have been nicked ; thus they cannot hit themselves, or the person who milks them. The cows are
fastened in a way so as to give them freedom of movement without striking their neighbours with their horns. The mangers or troughs are of wood, or of bricks cemented together, and are kept as clean as all the rest of the cow-house. In Switzerland the cow-houses are similar, but there is also a rack, the back of which towards the passage shuts up with a board on hinges.
The utensils of the dairy, such as pails, churns, vats, &c., are usually made of white wood, and are easily kept clean by scalding and scouring. Leaden troughs are used in large dairies. Brass pans have the advantage of being readily warmed on a chafing-dish in winter. In Devonshire tin or brass pans are frequently used instead of earthenware. In Holland the milk is invariably carried in brass vessels. Cast-iron pans have been invented, which are tinned inside. Class and white ware are used for the same purpose ; espe cially owing to the repeal of the glass duties, since which time glass has become extensively used in dairies.
The dairy farms of England are chiefly in Gloucestershire, Devonshire, and Cheshire. They require a smaller capital than arable farms of the same extent. The chief outlay is in the purchase of cows.
The principal duties of the dairy are noticed under BUTTER ; CHEESE ; CHURN ; MILK.