ON DAIRY FARMING.

BY W. K. HULKE, ESQ.

NO. 7.— CLEANLINESS— MILKING AND DAIRY EDUCATION. Cleanliness is the one thing needed in everything belonging to the dairy — be it inside the milk-room,, or outside amongst the cows. Without it (cleanliness), although you may have the best butter cows, and the most modern improved utensils, your labour will only produce a secord-rate article. Professor J. P. Shelden, the greatest English authority on dairy farming, says :—": — " This question of cleanliness is of far more importance than the majority of people think. In fact, I may go so far as to say it is absolutely indispensable if we wish to secure the best result. Milk is a peculiar product, and exceedingly delicate. If it is not taken proper care of, it quickly becomes worthless, except as food for pigs. If placed in a room, the atmosphere of which is tainted by any strong odour, it will absorb such odour, and butter made from it will be more or less injured by the odour the milk has previously absorbed. Milk is frequently injured by milker's dirty hands, and by cows unclean udders. I have seen milkers dip their dirty fingers into the milk in the pail, and then go on milking, the drops of dirty milk oozing between the fingers aud returning to the pail from which they were taken. If one thing more than any other struck my attention when inspecting the numerous dairies visited during a Continental tour, it was their extreme cleanliness as compared with those in England ; a cleanliness that was carried to the very minutest details — that would with us English be looked on as trifles not worth troubling about. Their metal dairy utensils bore the brightest of polish, their churns were as sweet and clean as it was possible to make them; the floor of the milk-room — made either of concrete, stone flags, or tiles (allowing no spilt milk to be absorbed, as wooden floors do) — was kept clean by frequent washing, and then immediately dried, so as to prevent dampness ; a free and cool circulation of air through the room kept every stale or unpleasant odour away, the walls and roof being periodically washed with a good hot lime-wash. The milk on being brought from the rnilkingshed or yard was delivered into an ante-room, the milkroom proper opening into the ante-room instead of from the outside, thus avoiding the dirt usually taken by the milkers when depositing their cans in the milk-room. And, as previously mentioned, this

cleanliness was not confined to tho milk-room or utensils in use, both cows and milkers being subject to it ; the cows night and morning having their udders wiped with a coarse dry cloth, or washed if found necessaryprevious to being milked. Should any cow show symptoms of illness, or whose teats by soreness on being milked cause the milk to be stained, the milk of such cows is not mixed with the rest, it being unfit for food. The milkers, as regards their own person and clothing, are not exempted from this general rule of cleanliness, their hands and arms being washed previous to milking as well as during the milking should such be required, and any neglect of these instructions if persisted in, cause their instant discharge. With this scrupulous attention paid to cleanliness, can we wonder at the high position that dairy produce from the continent takes in the English and foreign markets ? Again we find this cleanliness thus spoken of in Mr. Milward's and Canon Bagot's report on foreign butter manufacture made to the Eoyal Agricultural j Society of Ireland— " The excessive polish and cleanliness that pervades everything is quite beyond description, and should be seen to be appreciated. It may be excessive, but can hardly be thought to be too great when connected with dairy work. It would, indeed, be a lesson for our people (Irish) that they would not easily forget if they could see one of the Fresland farm houses and its dairy, and I feel bound to say that I did learn a great deal as to the advantage of cleanliness in all stages of the process— from the time the milk is drawn from the cow till the butter is shipped by the dealer." Having shown the urgent necessity of cleanliness in everything connected with the dairy, I will now say a few words on milking. Milking should be always done quietly, regularly, and, at the same time, quickly. Milking should be done quietly, without any scolding or beating (although I admit some cows are very provoking). The first thing, then, is to gain the cow's love and confidence, for without it no cow will give an unrestrained flow of milk whilst there is one sitting beside her whom she is greatly afraid of and dislikes. Cows should be milked regularly to give their milk freely. They soon learn regularity themselves if they are treated with regularity of system. They should be milked thoroughly, because a cow will soon fail in her flow of milk if she is not milked clean each time. To ensure that the cows are well milked, it is advisable to go round after the milker has finished and strip them. Milking should be done quickly ; for cows appreciate dispatch, provided you do not hurt them, and a good milker is almost invariably a quick milker. In the fore front of means of improving our dairy management we place education. We cannot hope to effect any great change in the habits or customs of a people by merely writing a series of articles on Dairy Management or Cleanliness. No ; we must affirm that the commencement of a new and improved era in dairy management must be made in teaching the young of both sexes the first principles of dairy management by the establishment of schools especially adapted for the children of our country settlers, instead of the present system (teaching the so-called higher branches of education) which renders them, on leaving school, dissatisfied with their position in life ; their heads crammed with a little of everything, but which is neither useful nor practical. Surely if the Government of a country like Sweden, with comparatively a small population, is so alive to the importance of dairy education as to have three large dairy colleges ; and Denmark, with but half the population of Sweden, has its Cron'mment college and private schools ; and North Germany, with its splendid staf of professors exclusively for dairy instructions; and America with its State agricultural schools, it behoves us in New Zealand to teach our people that the manufacture of first-class butter is not to be done by rule of thumb, but that it requires the most careful manipulation in all its stages. And with the requisite education, we can always ensure the finest butter of uniform quality throughout the year. We would then most earnestly impress on the Government of New Zealand the necessity of expending a small portion of the large amount of money now yearly wasted under the i ncii( ' nt school system in the establishment of schools (in purely agricultural districts) in which the children would have such an education as would make them thrifty, industrious, and cleanly. It is by the establishment of schools under teachers having a natural talent for such subjects that have achieved results that few countries other than Sweden

and Denmark cau show, and which has changed the system of management of a nation in one important branch of its manufactures from a low standard to the very highest amongst civilized nations. Surely agriculture in New Zealand deserves an equal share of suport and encouragement as gold mining. The former is a fixed industry—in fact, the main stay of the country, employing the largest amount of labour — whilst the latter is of the most fluctuating nature, unsettling the minds of those engaged in it by its speculative character. The one is a blessing to thousands, the other more of a curse than a benefit to its voteries. It is on its agricultural population that New Zealand will have to depend in its hour of trial ; for it is the agriculturist that pays the land tax, property tax, and the largest portion of the Customs duties, and not the golddigger ; and if any industry deserves encouragement and developing by the Government it is agriculture in all its branches. To Christchurch belongs the honour of establishing the first agricultural college in New Zealand, and not to the Government. All honour therefore to the settlers of that province, and may their spirited enterprise succeed. My next contribution will be " The Milk PaH and the Cows that fill it."