Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-07-18
St. JOhnsburv. vt, July IS, 1873.
CHEESE, MILK, HORSES, FRUIT,
BUTTER AND HONEY.

trip to the top Of Mount Philo, one of the
first range Of hills running parallel with
lake Champlain. From this slightly spot the
beautiful plain that borders the lake was
overlooked, from Burlington to Middlebury,
while looking eastward the hill-country, ex-
tending some twelve miles to the Green Mount
aims, lay below us, dotted with farmsteads
and diversified with forests, streams, orchards,
meadows and cultivated land. Westward
the broad lake, and beyond, the granite
range Of thu Adirondacks, filed the eye.
Where on the broad earth can fairer sight
be seen, than that our eyes there rest
ed on, in the leafy month Of June2 While
we viewed the beauties of the prospect our
friend Pringle, with true botanical zeal, was
making additions to the store Of rare plants
for his herbarium. The day was perfect,
and the enjoyment complete. But the train,
like time and tide, waits for no man, and at
two o'clock, latter enjoying brief wayside
chat with Mr.. Higbee, Of Charlotte, whose
occasional communications to our columns
have no doubt attracted the notice of our
readers), we bid farewell to our kind enter
tainer and travelled southwark to the town of
Whiting. where, upon his beautiful farm in
the rich valley of Otter Greek resides
Hon. Francis ID. Douglas,
whose very valuable papers upon dairying
have first appeared in print in the VERMONT
FARMER, to be copied, in full or in part, by
nearly every leading newspaper, agricultural
and general, in the United States. We were
met at the station by Mr.. Douglas, whose
genial countensnce beamed a hearty well
come upon us. A short drive brought US to
the farm 10 time to witness the disposal of
the evenings milk, which was brought in
from the yard to the door of the mlk-room,
where the milk was strained into the deep
pals described in Mr.. DIS papers These
were arranged on long bench outside the
building, fitted with a cover like fold.
ing shelf, that shut down and covered the
pals, except while the straining was going
on, (which took but a moment since the
strainer-pail was provided with so large a
strainer and lip as to pass the milk as freely
as if no strainer were there.) All the strain
ing was thus done outside the milk-room,
while the milk was protected from dust I'M
til the milking was done, when the pals were
carried into the milk-room and placed in the
deep wooden tanks which Mr.. Douglas has
described. These tanks, of which there are
four, side by side, will each hold full milk
ing. They are filled with water brought to
the proper temperature, co., by the use of
ice. The milk is skinned as soon as it be-
comes acid, but before it is loppered, and the
cream is kept in pals which stand in the
tanks until churning. This is done twice
week, producing upward of 100 pounds at a
churning, which is packed in % ID. tubs and
stored in the cellar until sold. We shall not
undertake to repeat the details Of the work,
since they were so completely explained in
Mr.. Douglass papers, but will only say that
those details as given were strictly in accord
ance with the daily practice witnessed by us.
There is nothing in the Douglas system I"
that cannot be carried out ia any dairy, and
where there is running water, with even less
trouble than here
In regard to the objections to this system
which we have heard urged when it was
compared with the large pans of the differ
ent patented arrangements, We have noted but
few that seemed to have any validity. These
are, first, the necessity Of carrying the skim
med milk from the dairy room to the piggery
instead Of running it through pipes second,
the difficulty of keeping the water in the
tanks sweet when not renewed by running
stream; third, the greater labor of cleaning
tanks and pals, over the large pans. To
these objections Mr.. Douglas replies as fol.
lows First; that it is quite as easy to car
ry the pals directly to the piggery and pour
the milk into the troughs, as it is to dip it
up out of the tubs into which it runs from
the pans. Second; that while the pan sys-
TEN absolutely requires running water, his
can be successfully worked without it. The
difficulty in keeping the water sweet, with
proper care to avoid spiling milk or cream,
into the tanks, is imaginary, since the water
is partially renewed every day by the melt
ing of the ice, while it is kept at so low a
temperature that, with the cleansing and re-
newal Of water in one tank week, not the
slightest change in the sweetness Of the water
is perceivable. He thinks he should feel
obliged to cleanse his tanks as often as this,
even if supplied with running water, though
Of course the use of that would save the cost
Of using ice. Third that the labor of skim
ming the same quantity Of cream by his
system is actually less, as the milk is set
deeper and the cream is thicker, while there
is no reaching, as with the wide pans The
difference in washing the large pans or the
pals is but slight, with proper arrangements.
On the other hand Mr.. Douglas claims
several advantages; as that the milk of one
milking not being in one mass together a
portion can be skinned, if desired, while
sweet, without disturbing the whole. This
is an advantage when sweet skim milk is
wanted for calves, or for other purposes.
He thinks also that the milk is more thor
Oughly cooled, and keeps longer without lop-
pering in warm weather, As the skim milk
is fed directly to the pigs there is 10 swill.
tub to putrefy and faint the air or draw
flies, and no tube to conduct the tainted air
from the swill-tub into the dairy. The cream
nnI aynos;nc, 90 Ynuoh srrfaca doaa NOT I.u