Lent to w..- '....'...k.< ('..(t'.M. „,„.„„ „^^,,„., PLEASE RETURN ^wvwwwvwwwkwwwwywrfrtwwwww^ ""= ^••'••' -^ I DEPARTMENT OF .VGRICULTURE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC BELETIN ON DAIRYING BY GABRIEL HENRY, B.E.S., I.E.C.P. PrBLISHED BY THE f ; >'. Department of Agriculture of the Province of Quebec ■ * ■ ■ QUEBEC IMflNTEI) BY BROUSSEAU & PAGEAU I'KINT K8 TO HKR MOST <5RACIOU8 MAJESTY THE QUKEN 1897 ^mmm^*fm^*^mmffmnffmffmmmKmfmmmm9m^fmftmmmmmmm^ DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROVINCE OP QUEBEC BULLETIN ON DAIRYING II Y GABRIEL HENPtV, B.E.S., I.E.O.r. ITBLISUEl) »Y THE Department of Agriculture of the Province of Quebec a"cr3srE ibqt QUEBEC rPtlNTEl) 13V r.KOUSSEAU & PAOEAU IMMNTERS TO IIEK MOST (iKACIOUS MA.IESTY THE QUEEN 1897 u ll 'f' ',■ ■'■{ DEPAlirMENT OF AGRICULTURHI PROVINCE OF QUEBEC BULLETIN ON DAIRYING BY GABRIEL HENRY, B.E.S., I.E.C.F. GENERAL CONSIDEKATIONS. This year, the Departinuut of Agricultiii'u sent to diiVereut parts of the province interrogatiors addressed to such persons as are more skilful and competent to supply tlie public with practical information on the present needs of the dairy industry and con- cerning the improvements that still remain to be made. This bulletin embraces, in as abridged a form aS is possible, an abstract of the numerous replies that have been received to these interrogations. In dairying, there are several points to be considered ; 1. The production of the various raw materials of milk, such as green-meaj or fodder, roots, &c. ; 2. The transformiition of these raw materials into milk, the care to be devoted to milk from the milking to the time of its delivery at the factory, and its reception by the maker ; 3. The making of butter and cheese ; 4. The utilization of the refuse of the dairy ; 5. The preservation, carriage, inspection and sale of butter and cheese. ■ ■ The market prices are beyond the control of the farmer, so all the points we have just mentioned must be taken thoughthdly — 4 — into consideration, in order tliut tlut dilfcnfiicc between tlie eost- })riee and tlie ,sale-j»rice may be .siilficient to leave a fair j)rotit to all those wlio co-ojjerate in tlic pruduetion and sale (jf dairy ji^oods, so that they must have shown that they possess the gift of impress! veness. Never buy an inmiature thoroughbred bull that has not served, under the pretext that at that age he is to be had cheap ; if you do, you will run the risk of being disapi)ointed. Good milkers can be found in all dairy breeds, even among common cows. Still, certain breeds are noted for the great pro- portionate numbers of good cows that they include and for the special qualities of those cows. Each breed has its own particular _ 8 — good points, and the following is a list of the leading breeds Buited to our province, and that are at present the most popular : Shorthorns. — Tlie cow is large ; in colour, roan,* red, white, red and white, roan and white. Average weight, 1,3r»() llw. ; year's vield of milk (■) 000 lbs .; (luality of milk, :'..7 - <»i" fat and 9' of other solids. They give capital milk for tlie cheese factory, and fatten easily wlien dry. Tliere are two lines of Shorthorns : the dairy Shorthorn and the pedigree Sliorthorn. Here, we speak of the former. Ayrshires. — Middle-sized ; average weight 1,000 lbs. In colonr, red and whiti;, i»rown and white, Idack and white, the white generally predominating ; average yield of milk, r>,r)00 lbs., qua- lity '5.8 of fat, 8.0;",' solids, These cows are hardy, and their milk gives Imtter and cheese of superior ([uality. Their yield is pretty constant thronghont the year. Tlie Ayvsliire crosses ]>ro- titaldy with the connnou cow, the. shorthorn, and tht^ Jersey. Jerseys. — A small (hiw, (degant in foiin ; eokmr yellow, silver- grey, mouse colour ; the sliadcs vary greatly. Average M'eight, 830 lbs. ; average yield of milk 4,500 lbs., averaging 4.()4/ fat and 9.?>'2 solids not fat. This is one of the best of the milk breeds. The milk is, as altove, very rieli in fat, and the ])utter made from it is excellent ; still s(jme farmers iissert that the Jerseys are not hardy enough for our elimate. Guernseys. — Average size; average weight, 1,000 ll)s. (Jolour orange, and orange and white. Average yield of milk 5,200 lbs. ; richness in fat 4.5.") ', and in other solids '.boH. A good cow ; one that fattens easily after drying oil'. Canadians. — One of the best breeds foi' the [irovince whence it takes its name. She is a " good dam ", hardy, a small feeder, gives a good lot of milk from calving to culving, the per centage of fat in which is about as high as in the Jersey and Guernsey, viz., 4 to 6r/=. According to the reports we liave received from all parts, the farmers of the province are alveady taking a good deal of pains — — about the ini])i'oveTneTit of tlicir lionls. Tlip clulis liavi' Ixion active hi the [mrchase of })ulls. Still, the Tiioveiiieut is not yet general enough, and is not rcnular in its niothods. People seem to think that it is enough to have a thorough! ired bull within reach to secure the iniprovenuuit of their herds. TIk; food is not plentiful enough, a..d sulVudtint care is nt)t taken t(t devchip in the ])r()duce of the crosses the qualities sought for. The milk is neither weigh- ed, nor tested by the J5abcock, systematically during twelve months, so as to ascertain thoroughly which of the herd are not worth retaining. There is no (ixcd minifuum of the jjrojiei- ([uantity of butter fa,t to be yielded l)y each c(.)W during the year. Farmers are satisfied with an a])])roximate estimate, by guess, of the value of their cows. It is very much to be wished that farmers wouhl enter more energetically, nujre eariu'stly ujxm this in(iuiry. At present, Ayrshire, (Juernsey, and Canadian bulls are the nujst sought after. FEKDING MILCH-COWS. When one has a herd of gctud cows and good bulls, they must of course be well fed to utili/e and develop all their good ([ualities, the munber of the herd being, as aforesaid, ]iroj)ortioned to the. average yield of the fodder-crops of the farm. Summur Fesdiny. — In sumnu'r, the cows must be fed on pas- turage. l)Ut, in this province on account of the frosts and thaws of winter, as well as the droughts of8umnu3r, which so often injure pastures, these yield in general but little grain, and it is desirably to be wished that farmers would have recours(^ to the ^rowiu" of green fodder-crops in a systematic manner. For this purpose we reeoiinuend : clover, clover and timothy oats and vetches or tares, ])ease and oats, pease, oats ami vetches, clover and orchard-grass, Hungarian grass, corn, beans in some parts of the ])rovince, and cabbage. Here, the farrmu- has ubundant material to select from ; he has only to make his choice. The systematic use of green-meat crops, so highly advisable, is, it may be said, still only the exception, in some parts of the pro- — 10 — viiice ; so, in July and Angnst, oni! iinds, in nmny places, tlie yield of milk diniinisUcs : a very sail tliinu, at in this a great improvement has been brought about by the clubs. The competi- tion of green-fodder crops instituted by these associations has greatly j>romoted their growth, and the re]»orts forwarded to the Government give us reason to hope that, before long, tliis crop will have obtained all the desirable extension. When a farmer has, in other resjjects, an overplus of fodder or grain, he would l)e right in exchanging it for oil-cak(3, or for linseed- meal or cotton-seed meal, to Ije given to the cows 'on grass, at the same time as they get their green-moat in moveable racks and troughs. All green-meat should lie mown several times before given to the stock and allowed to wilt a little to prevent bloating. For every 1,000 lbs. live-weight of a cow, 110 lbs. of grass or green-fodder a day must be ])rovid(Kl. One arjicnt of green-fodder will serve two cows during the summer. Three arpents for five cows is a very moderate estimate. Some very careful experiments, in the States, prove, that by feeding cows in the house exclusively on gi'cen-meat, from two to five times as much milk can be got from them than from the same average in pasture. In this province, it is clear, from the reports of the Judges of Agricultural Merit, that green-fodder, carefully cultivated, is the most ]irof]table way of feeding stock. Cha7igefrovi winter to summer feeding and the converse.— When the cows are about to pass from the dry fo(jd of the winter to the moistened foodofsunnner, great care is needed. Xi first,they ought to have a feed of hay before they leave the cowhouse for pasture, and only be left at grass'for a short time. Then, day by day, the hay would be diminished and the length of time at pasture increased, until, at last, they may be allowed to pass all the time at grass. Good pure water, and shelter from sun and rain, are absolutely necessary in the pasture, — 11 — In cliiuigin^' from suiniuei' to winter rations, ihv i»roc(MMlin<,r,s, mnst, as before, be gradual, the quantity of dry food being increased by degrees. Wlnter-feedhig. — Winter-food is l)ased on tlie eoniljincd rations as they arc called. If tiie soil could go on I'or years ]»r()ducing a large yield of hay economically, without running out, or be(U)niing full of weeds, the most natural winter-food for cows would be good hay ; but, to kec]) up the fertility of the land, as well as to increase the safety and yield of the crops and to lessen their cost, it is necessary to alternate and vary thein, and it is with the dif- ferent fodder-crops, roots, and the grain dci'ived from these various crops that tiie winter-rations have to be ('om])ounded. On the other hand, wc know that it is impossible, without serious injury to the healui. of the cows and to the yield of juilk, to feed them exclusively on roots, grain, or even on ensilage alone, and that these foods must be mixed in C(.'rtain definite projmrtions such as theory as well as practical agriculture \va\q. worked out. All foods contain more or less water. Those that contain the greatest proportion are roots, green-fodder, and silage, and these are called in consequence " watery foods." They contain from GO'/o to 90°'o of water. Dry foods, like hay, contain only from 15"/, to 187o. When, by evaporation, all the water is expelled from any food, what remains is called the "dry matter" of the food. Theory, numerous experiment'., as w(dl as the practice of the best farmers, have proved that cows consume daily from L'O l])s to oo lbs. of dry matter per 1,000 lbs. of live-wciglit, according to the quantity of milk thev give. This is the first basis for the calculation of the (juantity of food required l)y cows; it varies with the yield of milk, and should be diiuinished as that decreases. Still, as we saw, the (piantity of food does iKtt sullice, an 1 the consolidation of the dilferent kinds of food, as wtdl as their qua- lities, play an important ])art in cow-feeding. The nutritious part of the dry matter of foods includes tln-ee principal kinds of nutritive elements ; pi'oteins or albuminoids (tlie nitrofrenous niatUir), the eurlxt-liy (hates, and fat. Tliu two last contain no nitrogen, and ar(! (iallt-d i'arl)onat(Hl elements. The entirety of the.se nutritive (deiiient.s cannot l)e digested by animals: parts of each of them ai-c iiidim'stihic. Tlie propor- tion of tliem tliat is digestilde vaiirs whh tlu' kind of fodder, with the age and state of health of the animal, and with the associated proportions in tlie food of the (hirercnl materials. In calculating these rations, oidy the (Ugestihlc parts of tlie food are usually reckoned. , W we take the average of tli(^ rations used liy To of the i)est farmers in Wisconsin, in 1 S'.t l-'.iL', wc !iiid that their cows were receiving a diiily rati(jn of l!o " Fat O.TC. " Total 1G.;"51 " out of the 2G lbs. were digestible. With such a ration, the cows gave, that year, an average yield of ~»,7'.'- lbs. of milk per cow, from which was made; li'JO lbs. of buttn- pci' vj)\\\ These figures agree; priitty neai'ly with those of Kiihn and Wollf, two learned Gernuins, who are considered authorities on the feeding of stoc'v. In our opinion, the farmers of this lU'ovince nught take the above cdculations as a [)roxinuite basis on which to form their rations. It it also settled, that, not only the (juantity of dry matter, but even its nature, plays a part in the i)rocess of digestion, and that it is necessary to insert in the ration a certain proportion of foods containing a great deal of hardly digestible carbo-hydrates, like the fibrous matm'ial of straw and other "roughage," in order to thoroughly divide in the intestines the digestive elements of the footl and the better to expose them to the assaults of the ])ancreatic juices. Calculating the rations. — Starting from all these facts as a — 13 — foiuuliitioii, and hearing in ninil the fihrous and watery characte- ristics of the foods, as waW as their a)ti)roxiinate richness in the various nutritive elements, espijcially in nitrogen, it will be easy to compound a good system of feeding witli the crops grown on the farm. The tallies of the composition ol' fodders and other foods show for each of them the weights of the diiferent elements of nutrition that they embrace, as widl as of tlKjir dry matter. Still, farmers do not always have at hand tlnjsi^ tablt>s, and tlu; result of the calculations one can make (iven wilii ilirir aid is nt'vcr more than an a]>[>roxi- mat''if. to tin '.ruth ; liesides, a crowd of typical rations have been drawn up and havcigiviui good results. It is therefore a goodjdan for them to simplify things by taking these typical rations to start with, and to .select in particular those that are best suited U) their own case and then UKjdify tlu.'m according to circumstances. The leading fodder crops, that can l)e usefully grown in this ])rovince and are suited to rations for dairy-cows, are : Foods fairly ricli in nitrogen : Meadow-hay, clover-hay, and, generally speaking, hay composed of a mixture of different grasses. Foods rather rich in fibre, but coutaininif a 'greater or less aTuount of nitrogen according to the (quantity of grain left in them : Maize-foilder ; mixtures of the straw of oats, pease, and vetches or tares ; Watery foods : Ko(»ls, green fotlder, brewers' grains, and silage of all kinds ; F(jods rich in nitrogen and very rich in digestible carbo-hydrates : Various grains, bran, Tnoidces (meal) ; Foods very rich in l»oth nitrogen and digestible carbo-hydrates: Pease, beans, vetclies ; Foods very rich in uitrogen and digestible fats : Linseed (flax), oil-cake, and oil-nicals (cutl'Mi-Tueal and linseed-meal). If yon wish to increase ilie (quantity of nitrogen in a ration, increase the dose of ^raiu and cake. To increase the librous constituents, add straw. If the rati(ui is not watery or succulent enough, add roots or sihige. — 14 — The '• nutritive ratio " of a fodder or ration is the term applied to the ratio that tlie iiuaiititv of digestible carbo-hydrates bears to the digestible nitrogenous elements contained therein, fhis ratio is generally com})rised witliin the limits of 4 and 8. Here are some sam]»les of typieal rations : 1st Samide. — With a good deal of silaue : ►Silage oU lbs. Hay 10 » ]5ran and oats — e(|,u;d ((UanLilics 10 " Ground oil-cake 2 " 2nd Sample. — No liay and less silage : Maize-silage 30 lbs. Chaffed nuiize-slalks 12 to 14 " A mixture ; hall' the Imlk of bi'an, the otlier lialf of maize and oats gi'onnd togelhev f.l luiii/u and the rest oats), witli a few pease in addition 10 " .'Jrd Sainph.'. — iJations with roots: Mangels 40 lbs. Clover-hay 'A '< Wheat-bran 6 " Corn-meal 3 " 4tli Sample. — A ration witliout watery or succulent foods : Timothy 10 lbs. Clover 8 " Bran 6 " Oats G •' oth Sample. — With neither roots nor silage : Clover 10 lbs. Chatfed corn-stalks 10 " Bran 4 " Oats 4 " Maize 4 " — 15 — Many .s<'ini])l(!s of mtions will be found in tlie special agricul- tural j)ubIicationf as well us in the Journal d' Agriculture Illus- tr4. In this province those rations are not ,is yet much in use. Still, there is some })rogress being made towards a rational system of feeding, and a few farmers are guided by its rules. Mr, Roach, of Abbotsford, Rouville, gives his 12 cows corn carefully dried in the field, green pease and 4 lbs. of oats, thrice a day, up to January ir)th, then up to April 1st, they receive the same (puintity of grain with straw ; and for the remainder of the season a like quantity of grain with mixed hay. When at pasture, they get 3 ll)s of pollard [gru) twit-e a, ilay. These 12 cows gave in IS'JC) :— May 8,G15 'Tune 0,001 July 11,088 August 7,241 September 5,;;00 October 0,440 November 6,088 December 7,523 January 10,002 February 9,230 March 7,087 April 6,000 Total , 05,080 lbs. Thus, the yield of milk was pretty regular throughout the year. The system of feeding reposes on the]use of grain, and pre-supi)oses the farm to be in ])ro})or state of cultivation and ])roduciug econo- mically its grain-crop. The cow-manure is of course rich, and well calculated to maintain the condition of the land. This is an example to be followed by those who ])0ssess a good grain-farm. Feeding cows in the house.— \\\wn the kind of ration adapted to o o's farm and to one's means has been selected, it must not be supposed that it can prove successful at all seasons and be suiUible to - 10 — ev(!rv individual in llu- herd. Ii will rciiuire .some sliaht modifi- ciitions to iulii[)t it lo the t('ni[)cnuui3nt of tlicsu uninials accordinj^ to the statu of their health, the 'luaiitity of milk they yield, tlu-iv condition of jireLjnancy, or the time elapsed since they calved. All thest! ciicumsiances, as well as the nature of the fodder, which varies according to the soil on which they grow, the manner in which they Mere harvested, and accortling to the weather of the season, shouM be consideriMl liy the dairyman. Never gi\(' the cows fodd moii- or h'ss sjioilt or mildewed, for not oidy may it injinv ilieiii, hut it may also injun; the milk. lirush the cows or wis]i them witli a w'isj) of straw, and curry them thoroughly from tiuM' to time, but not oflener loan twice a month, and this do lo [irc^venl tliem being covere(l with injurious germs which might fall into the milk and impair its quality. This dressing, besides, is good for the health : it assists the secretions of the skin. The food must be given at regular iiours. .Milking, too, should lie [lone punctually, morning and evening, at the same tinu', and d(uii' so as to extrai-l the last droj). This is essential to the im])r(nement of tin,' cows in bulh the i|^uantity and ([uality of their milk. Dry otV the cows a month or six weeks before calving, by sup- pressing the grain and increasing the hingth ol'the intervals between milkiugs ; l)ut ilo not persist in trying to dry off such cows as, in spite of everything, continue to give milk. Dry cows must not have rich food, but rather, coarse fodder (1). After calving, the food is lo be gradually increased in richness. It is in this and in all the a}>i)arently trilling attentions that the oows are c(mtinually requiring, that the skill of a dairynum is .shown, and his reward is the abundant yield of milk. He who does not care for his cows, who attends to them with aversion, without due consideration, will never be enriched by his herd. I'roni the replies received to the question from different parts of the province, these balanced rations are still but little in use ; still (1) Tho Aiuericaiis have a handy term for this : romjluHje. a iH'giiiniiiti; has been made, \v the ap-rn'oiation of their vahic, as well as tlie nerd of well caiiiig for tlie cinvs in winUT. Nuiiicrous exce])lion8 confivin the ailvaiitaue tluit fanners would uain )>y entering at (jiice into this iiraclic.c, as well as the jiossihility of iiiereasing the i»rofits in spite of the ))reseiit low juici' ol' milk and its products. CAKK OF rilK COWMofSK. Cowhouses must be well veutihited. The ventilators are fre- (pienlly to(» narrow and the conduits too large, so that the ascending air gets coided, whieh, during winter, kills the draught. For a chimney 18 feet high, wt; must reckon ujiou a section of iit least 10 S()uare inches per cow, i. e., 4 inches s«[uare. For ten cow.s, is required a ventilator at least 12 inches eacii side, and for 20 cows, two of th(^ same capacity. If the chimney is less high, its section must be increased. What would l)e preferable, particularly in winter, would Ije openings in thr wall, immediately under the ceiling; l)cing fitted with Jiaps, to be opened or closed at will. The cowhouse must be kejtt nujderatoly warm, forc(dd isopp(»,sed to u plentiful yield of milk. A]H>ut Gd^' F. is esteemed the best temperature. Cleanliness in the cowhouse is of paramount importance ; the walls should l)e whitewashed at least sj)ring ajid full. Drains should be carefully laid, and the floors must be lev(d and water- tight so as to ])revent the urine from Ituiking throudior standinrovftmunt ol" the c.nwliouses, but this improvement (diielly cnncei-ns the [trcservatioM mT the maniire ami tlie saving ol' labour. The ijuestinn oC veiitilalidu !iu»l jMirily of air is still lu-i^lected. TIMK 01' GALVINC. It is still till' custom, ecause the preservation and cari'iage of ]ierishable goods like butter, skim-milk, &c., is easier in winter than in summer. Fire is chea]»er than ice ; 4. Because the farmer has more lime to devote to his cows in winter ; o. Because cows that have dro}>ped a calf in the fall will give a regular supply of milk all the winter, not having to suffer in July and August from heat and tlies, and beciiuse, when their — to — yield tentls to full olf in ^Jtririg, it will luvivc anew wlu;n they go to grass ; <•. Ik'oause calves, (1i-(»|H)im1 in the fall, make Just as jiood vciil and as seasonably as sprinir tli(»].])i'd calves ; at least, s(» say j»niclical men. It is therefore worth the whih' of fanners to tiike these reasons into their most earnest con^'-liTation. Tin; MII.KlMi OV cows AND TlIK CAUE 01' MILK. Cows should ])e milked in a jilace far removed from all had smells and hurtful nifrnis. Uefoie heyinniug to milk, the udder of the cow must he washed, and then dried carefully; tlu; hands ol" the milker, t(»o, must l)e ([uitc^ clean. Thii milkjiiiil and the cans should he washed and scalded or steametl. rinsed in e(jld water and (hied in the sun and in |nire fresh air, out of the ^\ay of dust and had smells. They muai emit no \md smell, and l>ear no spot of tlirt. The milk as soon as it leav(\s the (hjw, is to l>e strained throu;4h a metal or calico strainer, and then aerated anil cooled. These tl ree operations are indispensable. The straining separates all the impurities that may lia\ e fallen in during the milking. The aeration expels all the had smells that would remain were the milk cooled without being aerated. It is cooled to prevent the germs of any bacteria that maybe found in it Irom developing themselves, i\Iilk should be aerateil not after the whole of the milk of the herd has lieen mixed together and stirred up in the can, but each cow's milk should l)e treated ajtarL ; not a long job, laiL far nioris effica'iious when one has a good aerator-strainer. There are several kinds of good economical implements of this order. Figs. (1) and (2) are specimens. The milk of cows "inseison" must be unlked, ai;rateii, and cooled apart ; it might inidiiiiger the success of the butter or cheese made from it. As regards cheese, the makers object to a cooling too low, as it retards the ri[»ening of Llie milk at the factory and thus lengthens out the time of making. Others say that too low cooling increases the (quantity of gas in the milk, and that — 20 — the low t(iin|K)riitun' liimicrs tlu; discovery ol' ;iny bae confounded with its cooling. Aeration does indeed oool milk a little, .but not sulliciently in summer ; it should always be followed l»y cooling, which is done . l»v placing the cans of milk in very cold Wiiter iind taking nnv uot to i^omiihitely ('lose the can's uiouth. Fid. 1. Fig. 2. Tlie cooling ought to take place; in a specially selected room, cool and well ventilated ; in other words, where the air is pnre. The night and morning milkings should never Ite mixed, hut kept in separate cans. In some districts, aeration and cooling are regularly practised, but in many places th(\v are omitted, and the butter and cheep*^ suffer by the omission. (See bulletin Xo. 8, published by tht Dairymen's Association, on the cire of milk). Xever leave in the cans, \i\> to two or three o'clock in the after- uoou, skim-milk or whey in a state of more or less advanced ler- — 21 — iinMitiiti(»ii ; tlu.' iiractico in alxtiiiiiiiiltlt'. There slioiiM he s|>eeial eaiiH for skiiu-iiiilk Jiiitl whey, Imt if theri' iuc not, the ^'reatcst po.ssihle care should lie taken to kei^p the niilk-oans perfectly clean. In the States and in Ontario, ((i-uperalive pi^j^erifs an; annexed to factories, and this system on<,dil In lie tried in this provinfc as W(dl. f.M!i;iA(ir. iir mii.k. In many parts, the farmers thcmstdvcs draw IIk; milk to the factori(!s. fiach ol" them visits the factory every dav. This is a very l)ad jdan and is th(( cansv of a ^reat waste of time. In many more districts, the farmers comhinc in groups of 4 to (1, and each, in his turn, draws the nulk of the others. This is a. hetter systetn than th(! former, Imt is far from Iumii^' ix-rfci-t. A far more sensihle plan consists in entrustinL; the delivt'i'y of the milk to one or more carters, who nndertak«! the work ai a tixetl prict;. At St. Dimis, Ivamonraska, the hictory itself nndertakes the carriaji;*; of tlie milk and returns the wlu'y. It does the work with six waggons that take the milk from the farm-iiouses twice aday. Last year, these aix wuggons carted l,rM"»2,5lO Iks. at a cost of !?G.10 ov 3.91) cts. per 100 lbs., equal to S-S.OO per 1,000 IIks, nearly 80 cts. a ton. 'i'he vehicles travelled, the first, 1 \ mile; the second 1 J, mile; the third, 5 miles, in the same direction as the second, but, further; the fourth,] mile; tlie fifth, 1 A mile.and the sixth, o miles in the same di- rection as thefifth,but, again, further. Making the journey twice a day, both going and returning, the first, secoiul and fifth travelled, each, miles, the third and sixth, 20 miles, and the fourth, 4 nnles. J>ad roads are often a great hindrance to the ecrmomical carriage of milk, for they limit the load borne by the vehicles and render it necessary to add to their number. l»esides, on bad roads, the jolting injures the ([uality of tlie milk. In .some districts, the farmers are obliged to keep their milk at home in autumn, on account of the bad state of the rtxids. A farmer states that, in his district, the 1)ad roads cause an increase of 2 cts. per 100 lbs, in the cost of the carriage of milk. 00 IMK'KITIOX 01' TIIK MILK. In jii'iiKMiilc, makers ((Uj_;lit never to reeei\'(i milk' tliat is not of the Ijest (|ualily. V>y inferior milk, is nndfirstood : 1, milk tliat ha.s been skimmccl (ir watered ; 2. dirt>' milk, badly aerated, the smell (if which is not sweet a,nd |iurr ; '■'>. loo forward, too acid milk; 4, milk frdui a sick cow, or a newly eal\ed cow ; ">. milk that has nnderu;oiie certain chancres, snch as viscons milk, bine Tiiilk, ^^-c. ; or milk witli ii bad taste, such as springs from the cows havin.Lf eat;(Mi wild garlic, &c. All these affected milks may canse as mnch loss to the associated jiatrons as skimiiKul or watered milk. Xo maker can tiini on( L!,(iod Imtter or checs':' with liad milk; it is absoliilcly iiujiossible , and if lie h;is not ahsolnte con- trol o\er the recciilion ol' llic milk into the I'actory, it would be nnjust to hold liim n's))ousi!»lt' for liic defects of the aroma in tin; l)utter or clieese, wlam llierc is no evidence of faults in the making' ; especially if ilie delects in the milk arc not apparent at the time of its rece])tion. Makers ought to be very strict iudecd about the reception of the nulk. Untortunately. the multiplication of snudl factories makes their task an excessively delicate one. Frequently, an observatiiu), even wlicn just, let fall to a patron (ui the quality of milk, is enough to make him change his factory, sometimes taking with him his relations and fiiends, thus ]dacAng the maker in an embarrassing positii^n, tho\igh he has ro- ceeds from the can, as soon as it is (»])('ne(l, ami the aiijK'arance of tlie milk are j4iit the cisi' umy be a (lnii])trnl one, and then the cotisociated use of tlie /i detcnuiiio the ucidity of u li(|uid are a cnwX (burette) uradiialcd ia lentlis of ci'ntimeti'os, a cniet- staiul, ;i porct'hiiii cij),-;!!]!' aipdiit .". iiiclH'-^ in diiinictcr or a rcactioii- .yla.ss, a .«;Iass-rod in stir tin' liipiid, a iiirasinv of 10 c. c for the I'vcaiii or iinlk, a liolllc of solution of caiislie soda stroii'i- enoucrh or? lor 1 c. <■. lo neutralise a urainiiic ol' lactic acid or its equivalent, and a hottle of pjienolphtiilein. This last liquid is made by dis- solving- }^ (»f an ounc(! of j.lienolplilalein in 4 ounces of inetliylic alcohol (inethylateil spirits'). To find the acidity of a sanqile of milk or croam, tak(^ 10 e. c. of it, i.e., tht> couienls of the small .i^lass-measure, and pour it nito tlu' jiorcelain .'aiisuh', lakin-- can^ that no civani or milk renuilns on the sides of t lie capsule and aliove the level of the li(|uid it contains. To sccmv this the sides of the vcssid are wasiied with a little watiM' which is to he inixed w iih the c-'eam oi' milk; one or two drops of th(! i.henolphiaJein are then added. .\e.M, ihe solution of caaistic soda is to lie added, dro]' l.\- droji, until the monunit when a.uitatiuL; the liqeid no ioiieci' dissipates the rose-colour jn'o- dwaeCi hy the solution in the cream. The amount of the solution added niu si he read •,,ii the cruet. If lo of milk or cream is em[»loyed. each cnhic cen1im(>tr(> of soda useil rcjiresents 0.01 of lactic acid in the milk or cream teste,!. Thus, if 7.', cnhic cen- timetres uf soda aic neiMJed tc jaoilnce a permanent rose-colour in 10 c. c. of cream, it sho\v-< that tin; cr.'am contains O.To of lactic acid, and that it is ripe euoueh for cliurnino'. The diflicidty is to Ljet the solution of (^austic soda strong eiiouo'h, and to preserve it at that strenetl' It changes very rapidly if e.\i»osed to the air. This detei'ioratioi. arivsted hy putting it into a llask with a few droj»s of jiaralline oil on the toji of tlie solution, and " racking oif" the li(piid l»y means of a |iro])er siphon. ()i',todetermin(! the acidity of milk, we may use Farrington tahlets, a. c(unnu)n teacup, a, 4, (), or 8 ounces bottle, a,n enijity brass car- tridge case, Xo. 10, that will hold just an ounce of milk, or any nu;asure of a like capacity. Four ounces of the solution is pre- pared by hlling a huir-ounce bottle with water and dissolving 4 "'iits in it. Fill the No. 10 cartridge case with the milk or — 2o — croam to bo tested, aner cent. Still, really lir.-;t-rat(; milk ought not to contain more than two tenths of one p(;r cent of acid. Sweet cream contains no more than 0.1 •"> tif acid. (Jream is ripe enough when it contains six-tenths of one })er ciuit of acid. It only takes a fraction of a. minute to determine the ]iercentage of acid in a sunii)le of cream or milk. In the case of doubtful milk, so as to satisfy onestdf as to the ripeness of any cream, this t(!st is necessary. MAKINCi 1!1:TTKH, The importance of thoroiu/h skimminr/. — Skimming is an jjieration that demands the full attention of the maker. In well skimmed milk, there ought not to remain more than one pound of fat to the 1,000 lbs. of milk. If theriM-emain 4 or "» jKumds to the thousand— and this is no unusual residuum, especially when the F)abcock is never used, and no great negligenc'e is re(juired for such a result — '■) to 4 lbs. of fat less is extracted than might be ex[)ected. If the factory receives an average of 8,000 lbs. a day, for instance, the loss will be 24 to o- lbs. ; and reckoning fat at 20 cents a ])oun(l, that will amount to !?(i.20 a day, a hws during a month's season of from S87S.04 to Sl,l;U.(KS ; need I eidarge on the im])ortance of the ([uestion '. Necesf^ity of drinmj the separator at a nujular speed. — One of the chief conditions of thorough skimming is a regular pace in the se]»arator. To secure this, the boiler must be large (Miough to j)revent the ])ressur(! from falling mu(4i when pumping in water or making up the fire. The engine shouM be of full power, in — 26 — ,t?ood order, woll adjiistxsd, the governor actinia ro,<:;nlarly. An Gn,£jine should never ho m./xle to Mork faster or sh>wer hy the action of llic 1hi'nt1h> valve which, wlicn the enfriue is at work, should idways he wide open. The hehs should )»e in nfood order, dry, and sulhcieutly stretched on the jiulleys, thou<,di not too much so. Tlie reunlaT'ity of llu' woik once ensured, the pace should he last enough. This i>(ice viiries with the make of separator used, and it nnist he !idlieree sJcimmcd per hour. — Then, too much milk must not he run through at once. To ascertain the ])ro])er ([uantity, a liahcock test must Ix; tiiiide with skim-milk, ex- jierimental sani]>les of which must he. made successi\ely iiy ]iassing each time throuuh tlu^ scjiarator dirt'erent ([Uiintities of milk per hour. Vty this, it is easy to •^vi at the riuht ([luintity to he run through. This ([uaiitity \aries with the kind of separator, iVom one season of the year to another, and with the (piality of the milk. In autumn, when the milk is rich, very much less milk must he run through and the cream must he taken thinner, in order to skim as . . . • thoroughly as in spring when the milk is relatively poorer. More milk may he skimmeil ^ler hour if it is heated ; the cream then separates more easih' ; so the practice is generally recom- mendei)aratus is badly arranged, ill calculated for its duties, it is absolutely impossible for liiin to do good work^, and the ])atrons as well as the proprietor of the; factory lose in one season many times as mncli as it would lose to put all the things in ord(;r. To increase the regularity of the ruiniing of the milk into the sej)arator, it would be well to use a large wide vat, that the variation of the level of the milk may be less. And the addition of th(; floats to regulate automatically the How of the milk would be an advantage ; but, after all, ]ierhaps the excellent turbine se])ara- tors that work without an engine's aid, and whose speed depends solely on tlu^ ])ressnre of the steam in the boiler render all otlu;r explanation needless. Tests of skim-milh. — To vtirify the skimming of a whole morn- ing, it is not sutlicient to take sam])les of skim-milk directly from the se])arator several tinuis during the morning, because the con- ditions of the skimming, as we saw, vary constantly, and, at any given monuuit, we may easily find 0.001 at the spout of the separator, and at the same time, 0.004 in a sample taken from the skim-milk vat. To give an exact id*ni of the average of the skim- milk of a morning, it is ])etter to take samples at the top of the skim-milk vat, anper lipening of the cream, there are two niediods. The one consists in heating thi' milk, in a special apparatus, up to 155^' or 1 CO" F., keeping it there for ;U') minutes, and then cooling it d.nvn lo 80^^ or 85^, and skimming at once. In the other, tlie cream as it leaves the sei)arator is raised to the tempera- ture of 155'^ to 1(10"', and is only cooled it afterwards. Tjiis operation, which aims at the destruction of a part of the inj'uriou.'i germs in milk oi- cr(iani, is called Padeurisation, from its illustrious inventor. The first yiethod of Pasteurisation is tlie more costly of tlie two hcrimse there is a greater bulk of liquid to warm and cool, and if th(> milk is a little sour, it curdles in the api)aratus. The second is the more economical, but some practical men say it gives a greasy appearance to the butter. Tasteurising the milk or the cream gives us, at all seasons, a regular rijiening of the cream and, consequently, a more uniform and regular <[uality of the butter ; it increases its keeping (juality, disjiels any bad smell in the milk, but decreases in some degree the yield of butter, Ijecause a trifle more fat remains in the butter- nn"lk, and butter made from rasteurised milk or cream always contains less water. — 29 — This method of PasteurisiniL,' is extensively practised in Den- mark, but is as yet little known in C^uebee. (1) In small creameries, cream may be Pasteurised by putting into boiUng water each pail (»t" cream as it heaves the ,se[)urator, stirrini;' th(! cream until it reaches 160° F., and then jdaciiii,' the ])ails of cream in iced water to secure ra])id cooling. In large creameries, the well known apparatus of Dr. Fjord, or that invented by Resgen, may be used. None of the Pasteurizing apparatus now in use are |)erfect: for in most of them the milkotdy ]»asses through tlicm without staying lung enough to ensure the tl(!struction of the germs, some of which survive the treatment. With good sound milk, it might ])erhai)S be ])racticable to raise the milk to 100° directly, in the reception vat titted with a good cover and with a double bottom enclosing water heated by a steam- jet. The milk might be subseipiently cooled down to 80° by a refrigerator, through which it would cirijulate, protected from the air, before being sent through the sejiarator. The germs being de- tained longer in the vat, at 100", a far greater number of the germs would be destroyed. Ripening cream. — The object of ri[)cning the cream is to increase the aroma and flavour of the butter, besides, that from ripe cream, a greater yield of butter is produced than from sweet cream. The ri})ening of cream is a matter of the greatest impor- tance in regard to the ipiality of the butter. Tlui fermentation of pasteurized cream and of cream taken fi'om milk so treated is aroused by ferments. As ferments may be em- ployed : 1. Butter-milk made in tlu^ same creamery; 2. Anew ferment; .'i. Ibitter-milk from another creamery. We must, how- ever, add that, at present, the creameries whose butter-milk can be recommended for this purpose are extnunely rare. When butter-milk is used, the cream from whence it proceeds must have been very regularly ripened, and tlui butter made from it of the best quality. (1) It has been practised for r\v(j hundred years at least in the West eration that confers on butter greater firumess and im])r()ves its quality. Cream may l)e (tooled, either at the moment it leaves the separator before ripening, or after rij)ening, l)efore churning. The tempera- ture ought to be lowered to at least 50^', and the cream should be retained at that temperature hn- some time, if it is wished that the cooling should be (effectual. Cooling for one; hour greatly improves the (juality of the butter. When cream is cooled on leaving the seperator, the ripening — 32 — may be<^in in the evt!nin«^, to oiul in the morning ; liut this niothoairy-School. The cream may be cooled in the cream-vat if it is furnished with a double bottom, into which iced-water may be introduced ; Init when it is to be cooled on leaving the separator, special refri- gerators should be used, of which there are several models for sale. In this case, the cream will again have to )je cooled just before (ihurning, so as to bring it to a temperature pro[)er for that opera- tion. Makers should pay great attention to the cooling of the cream. Churning. — At present the feeling of experts is in favour of churning at the lowest possible temperature ; about '>0° in summer and 60" in winter. In this way of churning, the cream should be taken thick enough for the butter to come pretty quickly ; so that, when the churning is done at 50'' in summer and 60*^ in winter, it should not take more than half an hour to bring the Imtter. The churning is to be stopped when the butter is in grains as large as a hazel-nut, or a little smaller. Twice washing is the most it requires. When the cream has been })roperly ripened after cooling, and the churning done at the ])roper temjierature, one washing is often enough. When the washing is finished, leave the butter to drain for s()me time. ^Ir. J. 1). Leclaire, Manager of the St. Hyacinthe Dairy-School, recommends makers to dry the butter, after the washing water has drained off, by rapid re- volutions of the churn. Working and salting butter. — Jlutter must be worked at the proper temperature, which is G2°. But, in summer, it is as well ^ ;^3 in \\it\]< ii at a rutlicr lowt-.r teiiijti'nitiirt', and in winU'r at a ralhcM- lii;4li('r (inc. It' till! liiiltur is Um hoI'I, i( niiisi be ('ouk'il and nuulc liiinci' bi'f'ori: \v(irkin<4, lor in woikinif .soil butter it is iiai»ossibli' to ^'.s.[K'\ tln! biUtor-nnlk anuttei' must I'c ih(H(Uighly dried, for if it retains much water, it will lose two or three pounds a tub in a fortnight. It is better therel'ore to work it suHiciently, for in so doing, the half- pound on the draught of the scales, that is customary — nuiy be saved without risk of losing the pound. The salt used must be always the best, very clean and not lumpy. Barrel-salt is the kind to choo.se, as it is less subject to get dirty er to deteriorate. Salt, shij)ped in sacks on steamers or cars that are not kept too clean, is liable to imbibe foul smells that it imparts to the butter. To find out if the salt contains any bad smells, a handful or two of it is thrown into a pail with a little boiling water, and the smells, if any, are easily perceptible. The trade advises the use of ^ to h of a iiound of salt to the pound of butter. Tins is the quantity that should remain in the butter when the working is thoroughly finished and do!ie with ; there- fore, as some of the salt will necessarily be expelled along with the moisture in the working, it follows that more than the above quantities must be exhibited at tirst. The true quantity to be used depends a good deal on the way in which the butter is worked. 3 — :;4 — Tliree-riuiii'ttirs r)f ati oiinct; is not too inm-Ii if it i.s fully \v;> low mi 1 imr ,-(|ual through- o\it the mass, or from iusulliejenl woikiug. If in r(!-\vorking the iiutter the mottles do not ilisa]>peai', they are caused by bad, i. e., too long a rhuruing, or to )»adl}' managed, irregular ripeiung. Aromit and jlanoitr ; cl'i< tidiness, — .\roma is ilie odorifei'ous ipdoraiil) ]»i'in(.'iple that disengages jis.-lf fiou) butter and is perC/eived by the nose ; llavoiir is (he impression ]»roduced on the palate by the sense (»f taste. To judge butler llionmghly botli must be taken into accouul. It is xwy regrettable that these two things ar(> gentu'ally confounded. In general, the butter of the I'roviucti of (^biebec has ueilher the desired aronui nor Havadly .suited place lor the ripening; ; 9. As a. general lule, anythinij; that can communicate to the hutter a had Havour or hinder the regular rijieniiig of the cream. Tat)te of fish or of oil. — The origin of the.se*hatl tastes i,s not yet ahsolutely ascertained ; hut il is generally agreed that butter kept in storages where there is oil or tish may take o.i their flavours; and so with salt, kept in the same places; it may also communicate these had flavours to the hutter it is mixed with. Grain and textare. — The grain is judgeil hy the size and shape of the grains of butter ; the texture is the reunion, more or less compact, of the grains. The grains of a butter may be per- fect, and yet the texture be imperiect. Well grained hutter has a fracture like that of thick cast-iron ; hutter of good texture is like wax. In this rrovincc, the grain is generally good, but the texture is had, on account of the butter- milk not being sufficiently expelled, and the butter, therefore, not being dry enough. (Jhurning at too hiijth a temperature generally makes the expulsion of the butter-milk and the drying of the butter difficult. Heve, the working of tlie butter, in summer, is generally done at too high a temperature, and both the grain and texture suffer in consequence. — aC) — Paeking htitter. — Uiifuitiuiately, this is an (({terutiMii tliat is very ne,y;liji'eiitly peifoniUHl : iiiukers ought to uttc'iul to it nujre. On the niarlvct, thi' appearance of th(.' goods oH'ered lor 3ale has a great intliiencu on prices. Tlic niijan apjx'avancc of iiuy artich^ produces a bad otl'ect on the jiurchascr, wlio invarial)ly otVers a mean price for it. Besides, the taste of the ]>urchaser ought to he consulted in packing. At ])resent, harrels of ! Ill Ihs. are seldom used ; tuhs of 7<* Ihs. are jireferred to them ; but the most poj)Hlar packages for the export lrad(3 are boxes of ."('• lbs., of the follow- ing dimensions : llutherford ratdil I'.ox, iO'"' high, 14" long, IL'";' wide; Chea]) boxes, common ones. 11" high, IL'" I'Mig, IL'" wide, Boxi.'S and tubs ought to be soaked before using. They are to he (illeil with boiling water, a handful of eoiiunon coarse, salt being thrown in each, and allowed to stand and soak tbr four or Hve days ; then, empty Ihiun, roll tli(;m about under a. st,eam-je.l for five minutes, rul) th(!m briskly with a coueb-gi'ass wisp and hot water, bdlowed by the same o))cration with a thin sidution of salt in water, al'ter having carefully rinsed in e(!ld water. ]>ut this treatnieiU of tub or box ought ne\er to be allowed to do away with tlu; usi; rd' iiarchment-pa])er, any more than the use of this paper sluuild allow the maker to dispense with the washing, etc., of the box wc. have just d(;s(M'ibed. Xever use any but the best quality of ])arcluuent -pajier. The traders now are selling, we regret to say, a. great deal of infe'rior stiitf. Before using, this ]»ajier should be steeped in brine, comj)osed of J lb. boracic acid, 2 ounces saltjietrc, 4 lbs. common salt l)oiled in two gallons of water, and cooled. Keep this brine, in a cool jdace ; protect it from bad snudls and maletii'ent germs. The parchnu!nt-]>aper is to be placed in the tubs ;iv boxes with the greatest care and without creasing. Mnglish buyers complain that the paper is often carelessly adjusted. Butter' ought to be beedfully pressed down, so (hat no void places are left; they are always injurious to the butter. — 37 — 'I'lie boxes must l>e ulways as cloau as |»os.sible, well tnailc, we'l closed, and neatly branded ; in a word, tliey ouLflit to l)e made to look as well as [»ossible. Casks should be well scrubbed with salt, and lined with parch- ment-paper. Before closintf them, place on the surface of the butter a strong brine ; this will complel" the exclusion of the air. Packages, 1;he inside of the wood of which have been dressed with parathne, do not ensure the ])erleet [)roservation of the butter, and the nse of parchment-paper ninst not be disjjensed with. Freservafion of butter. — The ])rinci})al causes of the detoriation of butter, in the faetoi'y as well as during its voyage and at the dealer's, are: 1. heat; '2. moisture or damp ; .'i. l)ad smells. In most creameries, unhappily, there are no handy refrigerators ; they are too often replaced by damp cellars, Itadly ventilated, and in direct communication with tlie ice-house ; where the temperature never falls below "(O'^^* or 7)')^ (1). In a good refrigerator, the tem- perature ought to tall to o2*-', for it is only at that degree that butter can be kept for any length of tinu', without deterioration. It ought to be piU there as soon as ]»ossible after packing. Carnage. — As regards the I'emoval of the butter from one place to anothei', the following are the chief complaints taken from <|uestions that have been returned to us with answers : — As regai'ds carriage of butter, IVom the factory to the boat, there are not always refrigerator-ears to be had; only the chief lines have them at present. The boats that s(M'\e the St. Lawrence have none; tdtlier, and yet then." is enough butter [lut on board these boats to Avell justify the installation of properly titled (;ompart- luents. Butter, bdtli (lu the vail ;in(l in steniners, is often ])iled up with other goods, \\hate\ei' may lie their iiatiii'e and smell, a!id too hv- (juently in dirty freight-cai's. Tubs and l)o.\es of butter some- times remain whoh; hours in the sun, at thw wharf of embarkation, and sometimes at tholanding wharf. The refrigerator-cars, that travel on some lines, occasionallv run (1) Thiit is, tliu teni}i('riiliu'o of tlie cellfir, u t of tlie ice-house. A (^>,J.F. — 38 — .^liftrt. of ice. It i.s fi-w^uonUy curs iiiteiidcd I'mt inuut, fisli m- dtlier like products, tliat without cleaning or disinfection, arc oli'ercd to the factories. Many factory luen complain of the irregularity of tlie service, and of the small s])a(!e allotted to them. At sea, tliough the space is still scanty, the refrigerators are hetter organized. At the ports of emharkation and diseniharkation, the refrigerator compartments are not all they should l)e, as much as regards the isolation of the goods, the dani])nes9 of the temperature, tiie space, and the cleanliness. Selection of sUu,atioii for erenmeries. — The situation of a creamery should ])e^ chosen so as to have : 1. Enough milk : at least six or eight thousand pounds a day. 2, An easy discharge for the drains ; '"'. Plenty of good, j)ure water ; 4. Easy access hy good roads. Rules for the cojifitrucdon of eredineries. — As the ripening of cream, the working and keei)ing of hutter have to he conducted in certain fixed temjjeratures, the walls of factories ougiit to he so huilt as to prevent as far as jiossible any variations of temperature. And the same may be said of the interior partitions. l^o not, if it is preventible, place the l)oiler and engine in the same room as the se]iarators or the liutter- worker, and insert strcjng ventilators in the room they occupy. The working of the 1>utter ought not to be done in the se])aratov- rooni, where the washing-up is generally carried on. It is desira- ble to have a special room for the above ])urpose (working the butter), and that near the refrigerator. In tiie same room should he the churn. The platform foi" receiving the milk sliould be roomy and near tlu^ engine and separator rooms to allow of the maker having these within reach, so as to be able to look after the skimming and receive the milk at the same time. For tlie ri])ening of the tn'eani there should b(^ it room set apart for the j)urpose, and unconnected with the others, unless au ex.- re]jti()ii 1h; inadi! in favour of the churiiiiig and l)Uttei'-\V()rkin,L,' rooms. This room shouM l)o at a distance from tlie engine, and as near the icehouse as pos3ihh\ The levels oi the different rooms shouhl be so arranged that the milk may run directly into the separators, and the cream into tlio cream- vat and thence into the churn without being touched by haml, Tiie ventilation of tht^ creamery miisl b.' perfect, and each room must have at least one good ventilator. The drainage ought to be eflVcted by means of liydraulic joints (pipes in S form), so that the foul air of tiie drains Jtiay not return into the different rooms ; the drainage-balers should be led away 1o a distance liy underground conduits, every precaution being taken to ]irev(^nl any foul air from siireading round the fatUory, and every facility olferetl lb)' the drains l>eing easily inspected. To facilitate the exit of the water and constMpiently of the drain- age, tlie foundation {solmjc) of tlie l»uil(Hng should be raised a wood deal above the soil. .All factories sliouM lie furnished with roomy refrigerators for the ]ireservati(tu of the butler, ami they ought to be so arranged that the*temi>erature may be lowi-red to at least Wl'^ . The best system now in usi' is to liaAc cylinders, in galvaui/ed sheet-iron, tilled with ice. TIkjsc should be made (1 feet high and 1 foot in diauieter. AbuNc them, is a room, coiiiiccteil with the ieehouse, into which they open and receiN'e their cjiarge of ice. The mouth of each c\dinder is eh.tsed with a staunch wooden cover. The water from the melting ice in tlu^ cylinders is received below in a trough mad(^ of galvaui/ed ii'on, which receives in, addition the water that is condeu-ed mi the snifai'e of the cylinders, and all this watei' runs oil' into drains under the creamery through an S shaped ]>ii»e. 'Hie (\\linders are to be ke]it constantly full of ice, to which, for the ]»ur|ios(' of still more lowering the tem])eratnre, a little salt ma\ be addeil. Fig. ."• shows the arrangement of the cylinders. Each of them will hold 200 lbs. of broken ice. For a room lOxlOxd, which will store .S,000 lbs. of butter, there should be of these cylinders, '^ to _ 40 — the riu'lit and '^> to tlie left, ;iiid with an cNjiciulitiin' nf 1^1 td witli elVicient ventila- tors, the hot air of the latter can never dcs(^end into it, or into the butter- working room in which is the same arrangement of \entila- tors, etc., as in the cream rijiening room. Buildhu/s. — There are two modes of consi ruction : I he one con- sists in using dimension timber joiiuvl by tongue-and-groo\i' and morticed, covered, inside, by a layer of jiaper and a lining of l-inch hemlock, and outside with a layer of })aiier and one thickness of clapboards. The second method, well known as "balloon-franu', " consists of « I It .i 1 1 H Bara'te. a ^reme. Kk;. 4.— rLAN OF JB/)SS//^ A l/fiT fASTMU' I I cn CD CD b .b b Cp (p o •I r—lid-^ I ^ I V ^/fss/i^£ coi/y^^r- Explanatory Note ; — Bomf/oire, Boiler ; Erier, Sink ; Engii Bara'te, Churn ; Bassin a lait, Milk-Vcit ; Sallt des Ecreme.umH, Separa a vvemt, Crcam-vat ; Ferment, Ferment ; Glaciere, Ice-houHe ; Orue, ( CKKAMHKY. -:2> o >' h, Engine ; Malaxenr, Worker ; RefrigeraUur, Refrigerator ,tor room ; I'ayfeiiriseur, Pasteuriser ; Balance , Scales ; Bass in >-ane ; I\i^mV; Vi.Sh!'\;.J .^ tfi i'^'-^)^tl^ ^ l^i'I^X'/y^f'.-Xi'i • HE r.RAN DE SOIE OE PIGRRES CASS&E3 KAUX Kxi'LANAToitv XdTK : I'lipii r j'l lit i( . l'\'lt |»aiHT: liiuuhs d, /" :c /'. Strips of 1" X "2' ; PIi'^ikIk" hniti.t. Hougli Ixmrds ; Ahi'kIiiIi , .\s1)L'>1(is ; ,S'o/, Soil ; Hii-ili- nmil iff /", Lining of I" ; '(" x /' ('it/d/iiluiijis, (»" x 2" Wooden ])ost.s : 1(J" /> riiitri It ciiifri-. Ui" From ct'ntve to contcr ; '<'' />*• /)*•"// >li- vrvV, (}" Sawdust ; /./' /)i jiii rri riis.sf'i . 12" liidkcn s((i)r>s ; .'/' /)iii /mldi ii.r. I'osts !!" in dinni. Outsid(!, iiiiil a rank ol' Itoards, one of paper, ami a i'aeinL;- of clapboards. Tlit^ interior Wiills to be built in the same way, only with ujiriyhts 4x2 inches, 10 inches ii,])art. For the ceilintjs, use hendock tougned-and-grooved, morticed; ihaln^iwm (j^ovferelles) to — 4.1 — V»o 8x2, li ft'ct u]iiu(. To sii|)])(>rt tlir tlnoiiii;^' of (lie (lilVcrciil rooms on the j^roiiiid lloor uso (lieuiiis) 8x2A, 2 (avX iijiiirt, to In- coven'd with 2-iiicli toMmHMl-iind-Ljroovod hemlock hoards, wcdl iifiiled down. The board.s should have two coat-i oF oil, and all the interior walls are to ])e dressed with one coat ofoil and two of varnish. For the butter-working' and churniniij-room, jiavi'ment would h(! better for the lloor than wood. Fir,. ( . ^ 1^'''''^'^^^^^^ ^"^^^^ -^ iJW///'/'/!'/-./5'X/'X//'/>--V/A'»V>V>V>5<>'y^.»»>5',V-^^^ ^^/^y^/^y/^/?y^/V//^/l^^^^^ COUP£ HORIZONTALE DU MUR DK LA G ^AClEUIi HUlil/ONTAL SP^CTION OF THK KJK-JIoUSF: WALL. The walls of the ice-house and rcfrii^erator are to be built in the .special way shown in Hi^s G, 7, >S. The liotLuni of the ice-house is to be laid with a bed of broken stones at least a foot thick, on which place six in(?hes of sawdust, so tliat llic meltinijf ic(!-water may escape easily into tlui sulisoil, if il is ])H!'iaeal)l(;; besides, with this arrangement, the air cannot onliT finm below to melt the ice. When the subsoil is impernieal)le, a iMnii'iit ])avement must be made, very staunch, and with an S pipe, in tJK? lowest jioint, to run off the i(;e-water, and in this floorinn- a bed of j^ravel is to be laid, and on it ten inches of sawdust beloi-c the ice is laid in. The annexed sketches show that a great deal of paper is usecl ~ 44 — ftjifl tl.'iit iiiii?iy ('iiiply MjiiuM^s are loft in tluj walls, wliicli aro (!s.s(.Mitiiil ('((iiditioiis U» st'ciuH^ a ptirtoiit isolation. Tliur<' must iiol l>o any ciirretits of air prothiciid in tin- interior of the walls, and it is to prevent this that six inches of asliestos are laid on the sill. Sawdust may he suhstitutod for asltustos, hut it attracts vermin and moisture and has not so go(jd an effect as ashustos. Km;, s— SKCTIoN OF TllK WALL OK TllK KKKRl- GKlfATOK. COUrii DU MUR UU REFRIflERATEUR QI-AOtKRB paJmer fkutre < 1 • PLANCUE BRUTE ) DIA POTEAUX Mxi'i.AN A rciKV Nii'l'i; : (llnriin^ Iiclidust' ; Amiuiillti , Ashcstos ; lii(i /loltiin.f, I'dsts !•" in diaiii. A mil nit fills- is (lie liiii'st ((luility of .|.v/;< v/o.v. A. I!. ■!. V. For the refrigerator, a o-ood Hooi' is nccdedj very staunch, and built as shown at iig S, with paper hi'tweeu the ])lankH. The ice-house and the refrigerator in the creamery at the Comp- ton Agricultural School are huilt after this fashion. Cleanliness. — AVithout tliorough cleanliness, success in a cream- ery is impossible. It must be observed in all the nunutia', and tlie following are the special points to be observed. — 4r. — 1. Till! L^'iittdi's iiui.-:t \h'. kt'|ii lis clt'Hii iH cim l)t', iiiiil lu-, .so Ixiilt tliiit IK) lillli cull rtMiiiiiii III tlu'iii ; llifriilorr, (licy .sliould bo roiiiidtul olV, iiisLeiul of lM3iii;j; Hut ill hotloin. TIuj tloor must iiovi^r overpiiss the silk' of tlitj LjiiUur sn jis tn toriii an au^^Ui in wliicli iiiay lu-- cumuliiti! iimttors in (l(!cuiii|)(»siti()ii dilliciill lu rcinovc. I'lu'V iuul bett.r be placed in the niiddli'. ol ihc rooms lliaii ii<^aiii.st the sides. 2. The hoUows in thr IVaine o|' die s()|iarati)rs and enj«;inB iiinst, he ri'e(jiienlly cleancil oul, lo pu'vciit any lodi>iiirnl ol oil, or ul" a mixture ol oil, walcr, and drc()iiHH).'ied milk. Tluise macliineH must he wijied dvy (ivciy day with ^reat eare. .">. 'I"he itans, vats, iilt^nsils, and es[ii!cially the skim-milk vat, and the ehiun must all he ke|>l very clean. The ehnrn [tarticnlaily is ti) he .sterilised hy slcaiii al'tcr heiny wasluMJ out. 4. .Ml ]ii[ics and |Mini[)s [\ ) listed I'oi' milk or civaiii must b(! washetl every day and tluMi slerili.sed hy .steam. r». '{'he fahsf holloin of cream or iiiilk-\at.s must he eleiined out tVoiii time to limi', as unless that is done, lln' water will dccoiupo.se and (create had smells in the laetory. (>, (Ireat atteiilion musl 1>' p.n'd lo ilie cleaniiiiess ol tlu; ivl'ri- <^erat(jrs and the i)la('es where ihe Imller is .stored while waitinj^ I'or sale ; there should he no dainpni;ss allowed there, and the ventilation should he perleet. Never Iceep butter in the ice-house. Winter hattar. — It is jiossible to make butter in winter as good as siimmer-niade butter, hut for this s]ieeial management is needed. 1. For every o to erature. 7. In winter work, the temjicrature of the factory mnst be under ecjntrol. I'uder tliese conthtions, and provided the otlier rules for the ni:datrons has been already explained a propos of butter. Stir the uulk oc(!asionally while receiving it, to mix the ditferent lots and to iirevent the cream from risini{. Ripening the mill'. — IV'fore renneting, the milk ought to have attained a certain degree of acidity ; this can be determined, either by the acetorneter, which we have described already, or l)y the rennet-test. Milk should be so far advanced that it curdles in a number of seconds, so that the .whey may run olf m the space of 2.^ to ;> hours from the renneting, and that the curd gives \ inch of acid by the hot-iron test. - 47 - To try by ine rennet test, take 8 oz. ol" milk from the vat, adil a drachm of ronnet-extraet, and .stir it <[ui(;kly IV^r ten seconds. If it onrdles in 17 to 20 seconds, the milk is ripe enou•)() ll)s.) to turn the milk in 1.") to I'l* miuules in spring, -lo niiniiles in sumnu'r, and 40 in autumn. Mix the rennet willi wlU.M' at tiO"' to 0."t^', and stir the milk for some uunntes aftei' reunetiug. Catting the citvd. — -First um. the horizontal knite and then the vertical. The curd is tit lo eui wiien it, Imudvs ('lean lud'ore the finger. The dice into which it is cui are to be about | inch lubes, and care must l)e taken not to make what the Americans call a " mush " of the curd. In siiniuu'r, ihe e,ir minutes, detaching the curd fi'om ihe bottom and sides of tiu! vat. Stir slowly and (MrefuUy, so as no! lo erunible the jiieeus of curd; then .set the; agitato'' to work and begin to he;it up. This shoidd go as high as 08^' in spring, O.S'* to |(Hi'' in summer, and in autumn 100^' to lOl'^'. The; heal ii adviseil by exi)erts to be raised at the rate of one degree in 4 or ."i minutes, though in autumn, the rate slmuld be a little less, and when the milk is al- reaily very forward, the heating should lie a little faster. Stir, and increase the pace of stirring as the healing advance.s, letting ^ 48 — off part of tliu whey in order to prevent any siirprisiil by the pos- sibUf rapid di^velopiueiit of acid. It any smell in th(i curd l)econies perceptible, no more wIk^v must be lef'i: than just ouough to [lermit ot the curd swimrninu' in it witiioiit stiekin,i> ; then air the curd well !>}• ([uick stirrinu; ; by thus acting, the aroma will be improved. When tliere is any show of gas, stir vig(U'ously. Then try the curd by the h«)t iron and Hnish drawing off the whey when the test shows i to .', acid in s])ring, [ to I in suuimer, and j^ to \ in the fall. WHiile the whey is running-olf tlie curd is to be stirred by hand. Thci drawing-off should go on ([uickly, so that the acid may not e.\'ce(!d l\n} ai)ove (piantities. DrainiiKf of the ciiri(,sli.rrin(j, j'itd;tnacked to eualile it to uiute into a mass. When tlu! curd is soft, it must be stiiTcd a little htnger ; if the working in the wlicy hasl)eeu propiirly done, there will l)e but little stirring needed. When it has takim well, generally about half an hour, it must be cut into blocks which are to be turned several times, at intervals of I'D nn'nutes and llieu corded. At the end of Ajiril and in May, the conling must nol be high ; in June, the conling n)ay \n\ 4 or ."> Inyei's one aliove the other; and in summer, when gis (U' tiny JKjles ar(; visible, cord higher and turn ofteuer. In tlie fall cord o or (i layers high. All this ouy;ht to be done at a temperature varyinsj' accordiuo- to tlie ex- ternal heat, of 94'' to Vj8", but never higher than the latter. In autumn, in cold weather, cover the vat to prevent the curd cool- inii too much. Orinding. — When the curd is mellow, it is tit to grind. It ought then by the iiot ii'on test to give l.[ to L'.l inches of acid : more in the fall, Ies.:i in the spring. As soon as it is ground, it must bo vig(M'o\isly stirred to aerate it and expel the gas ; the temperature ought then to be \H)'^ to 02*^'. Salting. — When the curd has become soft, silky to the touch, has an aronui like fresh butter and shows signs of fat upon being pressed between the hands, it is ready for the salt, of which, in — 49 — spring, it requires 1| to 2 lbs. per 1,000 lbs. of milk, in summer 2 J to 2|, and 3 to 3A in tlie fall; its temperature should then be 88° to 90*^. Add the salt twice, and each time stir the curd to ensure equal mixing. Never salt till all the gas has disappeared. Putting into the mould and pressing. — When tlie salt is quite dissolved, and the curd has become once more smooth to the touch, i. e., in 15 to 20 minutes or thereabouts, it can be put into moulds. This should be done at 8')*^ in summer, and hi cool weather in spring and fall, at 88'?. Pressure should begin lightly, to avoid loss of fat, up to the moment when the whey begins to exude clear, when the pressure is gradually increased. The heat should be 80'' to 85". After the cheese has been 45 minutes or so under press, it is taken out and its toilette made, the water used for which must be very pure ; it is then returned to the press, in which it must re- main for at least 20 hours before it is taken to the ripening-room, A good plan is to turn it over in the moulds the next morning tp correct all the faults in its appearance, and to put it back under press for 5 or 6 hours before placing it in the ripening-room. Ripening. — Eipening cheese should take place in a special room kept as cool as possible in summer, and not too cold in spring and fall ; say, 65° to 70°. The room ought to be well ventilated, but no currents of air should be allowed to impinge upon the cheese. In many factories the ripening of cheese is not now well man- aged, because the cheese is sold too soon, and is put to ripen in rooms where the temperature is uncontrolable, but rises in the dog- days too high and falls too low in spring and autumn. All cheese ought to be three weeks old before being sold ; at least this is the opinion of practical men. Cheese sent to market too soon is sub- ject to acquire a bitter taste and to become soft ; the fermentation in it is arrested and it never ripens properly. If it is kept longer than three weeks, a second ripening room, a little cooler than the former, is required. Aroma and flavour. — The trade seldom distinguishes between 4 — no — firoma and flavour, which latter it disliii^niishes as " Nutty flavour." There is, however, a vast distinction between the two, just as there is in butter : aroma is tlie odiferous principle that escapes from the cheese and is perceived by the nose; flavour is the impression produced on the gustatory nerves of the palate. Quebec cheese has, in general, the proper aroma ; the best is found in the counties of Charlevoix, Chicoutimi and Sagaenay ; but it is most uniformly present in the district of Bedford. The nutty flavour is often met with in the cheese of this province. . The bad aromas and flavours met with in cheese are the taste of fruits or of yeast, the taste of milk, a bitter taste, and a crowd of other bad tastes that proceed from bad milk, bad making, dirt in the factory or in the patron's cans, or bad water. Tliis we men- tioned above. The trade classifies all cheese having bad aroma or bad flavour " off flavour. " Body and texture. — The (qualities of good texture are firmness, cohesion, and plasticity. A good samjde is glassy and soft or smooth to the touch, " silky. " A good body, denotes a cheese that is firm and elastic. Quebec cheese has generally both a good body and gootl texture. Still, in some districts, the l)ody is either too soft or to(j dry, and tlie tex- ture is too loose. Colour. — The colour of a cheese, if not artificial, ought to be j)ale. In the Province of Quel)ec, wlievo the milk is so rich, only pale cheese sliould be made. The making of "dead or dull white" cheese leads to a very great loss of fat, and is, coiise(piently, a contre sens (contradiction in aim) where tlu; milk is ricli; it ought to be restricted tu 'districts where tlie milk is poor. As to coloured cheese, its nuinufacture is subject to so many mishaps that it had better never l)e made, unh'ss bv those who are sure of beins: successful. Dimensions of the moulds and boxen. — Ciit'csesouglit to be 15 inches in diameter, and 10^, to lO-J in height, weighing 75 lbs. The boxes ought to measure internally 15] ins., ] of an inch more, and the same height as the cheese, i. e., they should be cut — 51 — down level with the ui>]»er face of tlie cheese. The wood slioidd be sound ehii, witliout knot or crack, and unift)i'in in cohjur. Uottoni and cover must be of dry wood, tongued-and-grooved. Eighteen nails are sufticient for the box. The hoops of both bot- tom and cover slujidd be strong, and the former be 1 i in., tlie other 2 i in., wide. The covers need not be nailed if they fit the box cloself. The l)oxes are to be branded and bear the trade-mark of the factory ; as the cuts, taken from ])hotographs, given below, show the dilference between good and bad boxes, is easily seen in them. The trade-mark ought to Ix; oval, and nu^asure o x t) inches (Figs. U, 10, 11). Deprec/tatioii arisim/ froiii the principal exterior faults. — Dirty looking cheeses lose a cent a pound in price ; mouldy ones ', cent ; cheeses not stamling upriLjht ,', to h cent ; those with stripes at top or below, \ cent; cloths badly cut or badly turned pHKimAlli ^^^ m ADA Fi(,. 0. down, \ cent. The diherence between a " well turned out " cheese and a shabby one, may be as high as from \ a cent to 1 cent a pound. A cracked cheese, even if otherwise of the best (j^uality, cannot get the top of the market, but loses at least \ cent a pound. Carriage. — As regards the carriage of cheese, on rail as well as on the sea, we can only repeat what was said about butter. Cheese — 52 — is often injured, by being carried about, by heat and want of atten- tion to cleanliness, and it is much to be wished that tliere may be soon some improvement in this respect. The carriaj^e of cheese from factory to station ought always to be done in the evening or Fk;. 10. the morning, but never during the heat of the day ; if one is obliged to do so, the waggon should be covered with a good tilt and cloth, to protect the cheese from the sun. When it rains too, the cheeses in the carriage should he sheltered for fear of their get- ting dirty. Fig. 11. Quantity of milk necessary hcommeiid the cooliujj; of milk AKTKR aeration ? — In order that the had smells, heing driven off hy aeration, may not renuiin in the cooled milk. Is it important that tlie cooling be done ([uickly (i. e., as soon as possible after miMunsj) ? — Yes. Give your reaso'iis ? — Because the bacteria develop too rapidly in un-cooled nulk. Is it possible to exaggerate the importance of these details, viz., cleanliness, aeration, and cooling? — No; cheese-makers say that milk should not be cooled below GO*^ F, Wliy do they object to a lower temjterature ? — Because, in that case, it would take too long to rijien the milk at the factory. Is not this reason found(!d on the fact that other precautions have been neglected ? — It nuiy be so, and <'X])eriments should be made to investigate the matter. Are ])atrons always (uireful to set their milk to cool in an at- mosphere pure and jiealthy ? — Not in gcnerid. Carriaije of milk. — Is the delivery of milk at the factories generally done in an economical way? — Yes, at St. Denis, Kamou- ragka, when; it is done by the factory. If the answer is in the negative, why is it not done ? — The carting of milk by the farnu^rs causes great loss of time. To what degree are bad roads an impediment to the economical delivery of milk ? — In a very great measure, for they increase the number of carriages needed for the purpose. RECEI'TION OF THK .MILK. Po makers in i^feneral accept dirty milk ? — Not in our district. Milk full of bad smells ^— No. Milk too far advanced (sour ?) — No. Why do some makers follow such abominable i)ractices ? — A blame wovthy weakness, due to over-competition, leaves makers to such evil compliances. If a maker has not the absolute control over the njception of milk, would it be fair to hold him responsible for any defects in the aroma of butter or cheese, when there is no fault to be found in any other part of bis work ? — No, — 60 — If the defects in the milk are not perceptible at the time of it.s reception, ought tlie maker to be held legally responsible for any faults that may be found as to the- quality of the cheese ? — No. Do makers always set an example of cleanliness in the care of : Theirpersons? ) Yes in our Their factory ? I factories And especially of the whey or skim milk vats ? J Is not negligence in certain of the above cases very often the cause why the patrons are not eager in following their advice ? — Yes, in general : but not among our people. Are the utensils, used in milking in the carriage of milk, and the manufacture of butter and cheese, kept by both patrons and makers in a state of cleanliness : Sufficient ? — Yes, among our people. Minute (or fastidious) ? — In some factories ; unfortunately they are not numerous. Doubtful ? — In many places. How far ought cleanliness to be carried in these details ? — To scrupulousness. It is well understood among the patrons and makers, that it is an infraction of the law, or at least to commit an injustice, to deliver at a factory, not only adulturated or sophisticated milk, but even dirty or sour milk ? — No. The same of milk from a sick cow, or one too recently calved ? —No. Or milk unfit for the manufacture of a good article of com- merce ? — No. What epithet would you apply to the habit of some farmers of leaving in their cans up to two or three in the afternoon, whey or skim milk in a state of fermentation more or less active? — Most blameable. Has not the danger of this custom led in some parts to the establishment of co-operative ])iggories, where the by-products of the manufacture are consumetl ir^ situ I — Yes ; in Ontario. What do you think of these co-operative piggeries, as regards the economical production of pork ? — We think well of them ; they ouglit to be tried here. In factories where the skim milk and whey are not returned to the farmer, are not certain precautions taken concerning the clean- ing of the cans ? — Yes ; they are filled half full of luke-warm water as soon as they are emptied (1). (1) By the factory people, I presume, —A. R. J. F. — 61 — NUMBER AND IMrOHTANCE OF FACTOHIES In your district, which is prefeirod, butter or cheese-making ? — People are divided on this point. Eeally "good" factories, in your district, are they : Numerous enough ? — Yes. Too numerous ? — In some places. Are there near you any factories making fewer than four cheeses a day at tlie end of June ? — No. Are such a source of reasonable profit to their proprietors ? — Oh ! dear no ! Not in places where there is no prospect of a rapid increase of trade. Are they a real and genuine advantage to the farmers who patronize them ? — Never. How far may bad roads be admitted as an excuse for the erection of factories so close togetlier as they are sometimes ? — In a very trifling degree ; co-operation would put an end to tliis trouble. If bad roads are responsible for it, have steps been taken to improve them ? — Not seriously up to the present time. Has the Department of Agriculture been requested to send the road making machine ? — No. ON THE SALE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS. How is the sale of dairy goods managed in your district ? — Publicly ?■ No. Privately ? — By the sellers in liouville. At the factory ? — In Kamouraska. At Montreal ?- No. In the Board of Trade ? — No. Have you any fault to find with the system of sales at present in practice? — Yes; and we recommend the establishment of " Board-Sales, " on account of the publicity thereby given to ])rice3. Has it been proposed to establish a " Clheese-Board " in your district ? — Yes ; at St. Ilyaeinthe. Do you know of any agents who, selling cheese at so much a box, payaljle by the patrons, receive another commission from the buyers ? — Yes. Are there any com^daints in your district about the weighing of butter and cheese ? — No. Any complaints about buyers " cutting " prices ? — No. — 62 — Has recourse been had to the Dominion Inspector at Montreal for the settlement of such difficulties ? — Not from our factories ? iJo the products of factories in your districts sell for tlieir real value ? — No ; not accnrdin,>>- to the general quotations. In other words, does the trade make sufficient difference between goods of superior ([uality and inferior goods ? — Xo. If not, what is the reason ? — The shrewdness of the buyer. What are the consequences as regards justice done to the patrons ? — (Jreat loss. As regards justice to the maker ? — Prevents his capability from being recognized. As regards the imjn'ovement nf our products ?--It i a sad im- pediment to it. Had a greater difference l)een made heretofore between good and l)ad articles, would not the trade have long ago sent the bad article to the right about? — Yes. Are there in your district any factories that sell weight and quality accepted at the factory, and price paid on delivery ? — Yes. Is this plan generally approved of? — Yes. Could it be made general ? — Rather difficult, on uccount of the opposition of the trade. BUTTEll. AROMA. AND FLAVOUR. Do you distinguish between aroma and flavour in butter? — Yes. If you reply in the affirmative, in what does the difference consist ? — The aroma is the odoriforous principle that disengages itself from l)Utter and appeals to the nose ; the flavour is the prin- ciple that appeals to the palate. In order to judge butter well, both m\ist be nttended to. Has Quebec Initter generally the riglit aroma ? — No. Do you often jueet with the nutty or almond taste ? — No. If not, what is the cause or what are the causes ? — 1. The bad ([uality of milk delivered at factories ; 2. Incompetence of the maker; 3. Bad cream-ri])ening rooms; 4. Bad smells from both the inside and the outside of the factory. Do you distinguish between the grain and the texture of butter ? — Yes. — 63 — In what does the distinction consist ? — The urain is judged by the dimensions and the form of the grain ; the texture is the more or less intimate union of the grains. A butter may have an excellent grain without the texture being good. Under what aspect does butter show its grain t(» be good? — Its fracture is like that of cast iron. How does butter manifest a good texture ? — It lias the appear- ance of wax. Has our butter, generally speaking, a good reputation for both grain and texture ? Tlie grain is usually good enough ; but the texture too often is bad; for want of sutHcient expulsion of the buttermilk, it is not dry enough. What are the causes of this ? —Churning the cream at too high temperature makes the expulsion of the buttermilk ami the drying of the butter difficult. Is the butter in general in this Province too much or too little worked ? — Too much, everywhere it is worked at too high tem- perature, cor.om. What is the colour sought for in export butter ? — Pale straw colour. Is it the same for all markets ? — No. To what do yon attribute the difference in colour ? — To the breed of the cows, their condition of leanness or fatness, the quality of the pastures. What do you understand by " spotted " butter ? — Butter dotted about with white jxiints. To what do you attribute these s])ots ? — To the presence in the l>utter of bits of curd. What do you understand by " m-Damp. J Bad smells. (6) During its carriage from Montreal to tha port of shipment. Want of proper accommodation or of cold storage cars. (c) In the warehouse ? — To much dampness in some ware- houses, too high a temperature in others, (d) During the voyage to England ? — Heat, bad smells, want of special refrigerator compartments. — 65 — (e) After it reaches the English consumer ? —Insufficient refri- gerators on the selected market. Is butter in the warehouse classified witli a view to its being suitable to the taste of this or that market? — No; not at Montreal. Is butter in the warehouse subjected to certain manipulations to fit it for exportation ? — Not at all, unless the need of it is per- ceptible. What faults are these manipulations intended to cure ? — Such as want of uniformity in appearance. Is it within your knowledge that there are creameries in the Province that have neither an icehouse nor a refrigerator chamber ? —Yes. At what degree should a good cold chamber be kept in summer ? — As near as possible to 82'-' F. Can this temperature be secured without ice or some refrigerat- ing apparatus ? — No. How lon<; after making' should butter remain out of this tem- perature ? — It should be placed in it as soon as packed. Does the cold storage on the railroad-cars give satisfaction to the trade as regards : (a) Sufficient cold ? — No ; ice is often wanting. (b) The cleanness of the cars ? — No. (c) Eegularity of service ? — No. (d) Space afforded to the forwarder ? — No, Is a weekly service sufficient ? — No. Is there butter enough and cheese carried by the Interior Navi- gation Companies to the ports of shipment to justify the installa- tion on board their boats of suital)le compartments ? — Yes. Would it be easy to fit them up conveniently on this point ? — Yes. Are the cold storages already existing at the shipping ports sufficient : (a) As to temperature ? — Not all. (6) " " space afforded ? — Not at Quebec. (c) " " the isolation of the different kinds of goods ? — No. (d) " " cleanliness in general ? — No. TIIH FAUTOKIES. Are our creameries, in general, sufficiently guarded against the variations of the temperature ? — No. From this defect, what injury results as regards the ripening of 5 ~ 66 — cream and the working of the T)utter ? — J*>oth are done at too high a tenipevatuvc. Tlic creaui is too sour, the butter too soft. In cold seasons, is it as ne(;essary to have means of raising the temperature in the creamery, as to have means of cooling it in summer ? — Equally reiiuired. With a view to ensuring tlie best possible reputation of our Quebec butter on the English market, would it not be well to get it there in as fresh a state as can i»e nuinaged ? — Yes. How long can butter remain in cold storage (at 4U*-' F.) without loosing its freshness ? — About 12 days. What is the average temperature of the warehouse at the shipping ports ? — It varies frotu 32^ to 50*-', in some cellars ? CHEESE. AUOMA. AND FLAVOUR. Be good enough to define what ought to be the aroma of Cheddar cheese to entitle it to be classified as " Finest " ? — Confounding aroma and flavour together, the trade defines them as *' Nutty flavour. " Do yon distinguish, in cheese, between aroma and flavour ? — Yes ; but the trade does not. If your reply is affirmative, in what does this distinction consist ? — See what was said above about butter, in reply to questions 1 and 2. Has Quebec cheese generally the aroma desired ? — Almost generally. Do you liud in the cheese the nutty flavour ? — Yes. In what districts do you tind the best instances of aroma ? — In Charlevoix, Chicoutimi, and the Saguenay. In which district is the aroma most uniform ? — In Bedford. Will you mention the princi[)al bad flavours which are most met with cheese ? — Taste of fruit or yeast, bitter flavours. All cheese with a bad aroma is classed by the trade as " Off-flavour." Are there specifical Ijad flavours in some districts ? — Yes. What one for each district ? — Fruit or veast in Laval, Berthier, Maskinong^, and part of Nicolet. In Yaraaska, too, one tastes bad flavonrs due to bad water and badly arranged ripening-room. — 67 — BODY, TEXTURE. What are the distiactive marks of a ggod texture ? — Firnitiess, cohesion, plasticity, the sample very smooth under the taste and silky to the louch. What are the marks of a good hody ? — Firmness and elasticity. Has our clieese, in general, a good texture ? — Yes. A good body, generally ? — Yes. If not, in what quality is it most wanting ? — In some parts the body is too soft or too dry, too loose in texture. In which part of the Province are tliese faults tlie less common ? — As to texture in Bedford, as to body in the Saguenay. Where are they the most frequent ? — In Laval, Joliette, Berthier, Maskinong(5 and in parts of Nicolet. COLOUR. What ought to be the colour of a cheese not artificially colour- ed ?— Pale.^ Do you not think that in Quebec, considering the great richness of its milk, nothing but " i)ale cheese " should be made ? — Yes. Is it not your opinion that making cheese " dead white " [blanc mat] causes a greater loss of fat, and consequently is a mistake when the milk dealt with is rich ? — Yes. Such beint^ the case ouirht not the manufacture of " blanc mat " cheese to be restricted to districts where the milk is poorer in fat ?— Yes. Considering the casualties that so often arise in the making of coloured cheese, would it not be more prudent for the Province to renounce the making of that kind altogether ? — Yes. SALT. Is our cheese generally salted : (a) According to the taste of the market? — Yes. ^ Since syndicates (6) And in accordance with the needful de- j-have been es- mands for preservation ? — Yes, generally, j tablished. Al'PEAKANUE. What are the dimensions requisite for tlie form of each cheese, (a) Diameter? — 15 inches. {()) Height ?--10.l to 10^'. — 68 — Wliat is the host weight ? — 75 lbs. What is the total dillereiice in price made by the trade between a cheese perfect in appel^rance, aTul one not perfect ? — The trade does not make diiference enough between the two. Will a cracked cheese, even of the best (quality in other respects, fetch the top price of the market ? — No. What are the necessary dimensions of a box intended to hold a cheese of the size just mentioned : (a) Diameter? — \ inch more than the cheese, i. e., 15 J inches. (b) Height ? — Exactly suited to the height of the cheese. Mention, concisely, the qualities of a good box, as regards : (a) The wood ? — Sound elm, neitlier knotty nor cracked; uni- form in colour. (b) What nails ? — Xails made expressly. (c) What of the bottom and cover ? — Dry wood, grooved-and- tongiied. Must the boxes absolutely be cut down to the height of the cheese ? — Yes. Is it indispensable or not that scale-boards be placed above and below the cheese ? — Indispensable. Is it an advantage or the reverse that the box-covers be nailed at the factory ? — Rather the reverse of advantageous, except for the trade. Would not a well-fitting cover be sufficient? — It should be sufficient as far as Montreal. __— — -^ — Where ought the weight to be marked? — Totherightof the join. Is branding butter ? — Certainly. KEEPING. r Are you in favour of boxes bearin^^' the trade-mark of the factory ? — Yes. Is cheese sufficiently matured at the factories ? — No ; the ripen- ing rooms are too badly arranged. If not, what blame do you attach to the sellers ? — They sell too soon. Are two full weeks enough to make a cheddar fit to stand the voyage? — Yes, on condition tliat not one of the lot sent is less than two weeks old ; but it is better to wait for three weeks. Would it be advisable to keep the cheese the two weeks in the same temperature ? — Yes. Would it be beneficial to have two separate rooms in which to — 69 — keep the cheese during those two weeks ? — No ; not in the first weeks. ]»ut, to keep the two rooms at different temperature ? — Yes, after the cheese is three weeks ohl. And liow about keeping one dumper than the other? — An ex- periment that should bt- made. Do you think that the state of moi.stia\> of the ripening-room can have any effect on the maturing of clirMMar ? — Yes. Have you any experience in the ripening of clieddar in a cellar ? —No. Wiiat are the chief faults in the ripening- rooms in the factories in tlie Province ? — Want of power to control the tenii)erature. Are there seasons of the year in which these faults are more injurious than in others ? — Pog-days, spring and autumn. Does cheese suiter in being carried : (a) From the factory to th(; cars or boat ? — Yes. (b) On the railroad ? — Yes. (c) On the steamer ? — Yes. How, and from what causes ? — From heat, want of cleanliness, &c. Could the companies improve their service in this respect ? — Yes. How ? By ventilation and attention to cleanliness. Are cold-storages a great benefit to the trade in cheese ? — Yes. Would it benefit the trade if cold-storages were added to the cheeseries, that the cheese might be kept cool therein between the ripe state and being despatched abroad ? — Yes, if it is to be kept more than three weeks. How many days should ripened cheese be kept before it is cooled before dispatching it : (a) By railroad-carp '' \ In the defective conditions of our (b) By boat ? ) average cheeseries, 3 weeks. FACTORIES. What is the most prominent fault in the construction of our factories ? — Too lightly built ; not impervious to wind and water, Of the fitting-up ? — Pretty fair. Of the material ? — Good, except the presses. Of the care-taking ? — Want of cleanliness, — 70 — Wliiit is the sirmlloHt qiuuitity of daily milk that a factdi'y can live at ! — Koiir thuusiuid pounds. If, in this Province there are any who do not receive that ([uantity, and who do not see any prospect of improvement in the deliveries, what would yon advise them to do ? — To shut up (heir fa(!t( tries. Can voii ('ive a reasonahle rate for makinjj; at a faetorv : Maknij^f 4 cheeses a day ? — 2 cts. at least. S " " ?— li to li cts. 12 " " ?— li to 1^ cts. " 20 " " ?— 1 to li'cts. At these rates what shoidd tluj proprietor supply ? — A factory, all the supplies and fu-flt-class ones too, and a diplomaed maker. (Jan a factory without means of warming it be calle 1 com[>lete i' —No. AGK OF (JIIKESE. Is nf)t our ch(iese sent off from the fa(!tory too soon after mak- ing ? — Yes. In what interval after making should our cheese be sent away ? — Three weeks. What injury is caused by cheese being sent off too soon ? — The fermentation or ri|(ening is arrested. Cannot cheese that is sent off too green ripen afterward in the cold storage ? — No. Or on its journey ? — No. S.VLE OF CHEESE. Is it better to sell cheese by private sale, as is the custom in this Province ? — No. Better to sell publicly, is it, as in the Ontario " Cheese-boards ? " —Yes. Do you think that these Boards, on account of the quotations of prices that are ])ublicly made there, have tended to establish the high repute of Ontario cheese on the Knglish market ? — Yes. Would it be a good thing for the Province were such Boards started here ? — Yes. Where ought the delivery of cheese to be made : At the factory ? — Yes. If you have any objections to accept delivery of cheese in the factory, will you, please, state them ? — We have none to state. — 71 - If it is iiiipos.siblo for tlio buyers to tako dcilivory of tlio ohooso ill tlio factory niij^ht tlicro not bu a lixed day appoiutoil for delivery, for eacb district, at some spot easy of access to tbe whole region i — Yes. This was done successfully at Lake St. John last year, GENERAL CONSIDF-'.RATIoNS. Has tbe eiicouragement given to butter-making had a good effect ? — Decidedly. What progress has beisn made in tiio export of butter in the last few years ? — It lias more than quadrupled in vahie in the last S years. What is your opinion of tbe conijietition-system organized last year by tbe Department of Agriculture ? — It has done a great deal of good. Have you any suggestions to make on the way butter and cheese are judged in these competitions ? — 'I'hey were made by Mr. E. BoruMEAr:, in the report of Feb. Uth, 1897. Does the scale of points adopted seem judicious to you ? — Yes. Witli what numljcrs (out of the maximum 100) of marks cor- respond in your opinion the trade classification of " Finest, " "Fine," "Conuuon" ? (95-100), (85-95), (85 and under). Witb tbe view of compelling makers to improve more rapidly tlieir system of manufacture, could not tbe " Montreal Butter and Cheese Association " adopt an official classification of their qiialities, witb a corresponding quotation of prices ? — That Associa- tion ought to do so, as tbus : ^ ,. "I Corresponding ,/t-.- i. >> Higbest market price..., y marks on the " Fmest. .. ° ^ i 1 n- lAA ; scale 9.1-100 2nd quality, "Fine" ? a fraction below do 85-95 3rd quality, "Common" ? a fraction below do 85 and under. Considering tbe number of marks obtained by Quebec cheese at tbe Exhibition of Chicago (189:^), Toronto (1893), Montreal (1895), and tbe Provincial Competition (1896), is it fair to conclude tbat our makers turn out cbeese " Finest Quebec ? " — Yes, without tbe slightest hesitation. What does the phrase " Finest Quebec, " given in the market quotations, mean ? — One half cent less than " Finest Ontario, " although, in the local quotations of prices this difference no longer exists. 72 Wliy, if this " Finest Qunhec " lias earno'l thn samo number of iimrk.s in the coTnjjotition, does it. nut obtiiin in the trude the same ([notations as " Finest Ontario " ( — On account of the prejudice that has obtained against " French clieese"; which prejudice, it would ))e for the general good to try to put an end to. (Signed) J. C. (JHArATS, As8. Corn, of Dairying for the Dominion. J. I). LECLAIR, Manager of the St. Hyacinthe Dairy School. EMILE CASTEL, S. D., P. Q. E. BOURBEAU, Insp. Oeveral. REPLIES OF MR. WESTON PARRY. Comptoh Model Farm. BUTTER. AROMA AND FLAVOUR. Do you distinguish between aroma and flavour in butter ? — Yes. If so, in what does the distinction consist ? — Aroma affects the olfactory nerves ; flavour tlie gustatory nerves. GRAIN. Is there any difference, in your opinion, between the grain and the texture of butter ? — Yes. In what does it consist ? — When butter is broken into pieces, the surface of the fracture shows the grain. The texture consists in tlie exterior api)carance and shows the consistence of the butter, whether it be firm, wax-like, uniform, smooth, or greasy, — 73 — What is tho appearaneo of butter when its <,'vaiti is i^'ooil ^ — It hjok.s roiij^h (or scabrousj wh(!ii broken. Wliat does butter of yood texture look like ? — Like wax. COLOUR. What colour is wanted in export butter ? — A delicate pale yellow. Do all markets want the same ? — No. "] Insufficient workinf:^. I Too hij^'h a temperature in ripen- To what do you attribute tlie yiw^ the cream and churning. difference of colour ? | Breed of the cows. j Cold. What do you understand by dap])led butter ? — Butter in which white spots are found. "^ To the casein, because the cream _, , ^ , ^ 1 .. has not been strained. To what cause do you attribute ' j,^ ^,^j^^^ ^.^^ ^^^ ^^.^^^^^ these white specks? ^^,^^ ^j,^. fornmtion of lumps of j cream during- the skimming. What is " mottled butter " ?— Butter the colour of which is paler in rows or streaks in some parts than in others. "^ Want of working or unequal I working. To what are these mottles due ? )- Over-working. I Frothy cream. J Unequal ripening. SALT. How much salt do the various tastes of the market demand ? 2% to 3% for England. 4% for Montreal. 6% for the local markets. Would it be possible, situated as we now are, to send to Eng- land butter less highly salted ? — N"o. What brand of salt do you recommend as the best ? — The Windsor Dairy salt. Can you show makers how to discover if the salt in use con- tains any smells likely to spoil the butter ? — Dissolve a quantity of gait in a pail of water and bring it to boiling point, any bad / — 74 — siiK',11 will tlicn 1)0 easily perceptible. Siilt quickly absorbs any bad siucll within its reach. PACKING. Do all the different markets in Encfland like the same form of package ? — Yes. And throughout the season ? — Yes. What package is preferred : {a) By the London market "^ (•.1 " " Liverpool " I a r, ^ • • -^ n ) < , ,, T-> • .. 1 u ^ A box contannng ob lbs. (c) '• •' Bristol " [ " {d) " " Glasgow " J Is the use of parchment-paper necessary or only convenient ? — Obligatory. Ls it fairly general in this province ? — No. Is the paper used good enough ? — G-enerally, it is not. Ls the advantage derived from the use of the paper enough to justify the cost of its employment ? — For export purposes, yes ; for the retail trade, no Are })ackages paralFined inside on the wood, to be preferred as keeping butter in a fresh condition i — Yes. Is the use of them given up ? — A.pparently, yes. KKEPING BUTTER. From its day of making to the day of its consumption in F^ng- land, what are the chief causes of the degradation of butter ? — Storing and dispatching it at too high, a tenijierature. Dunng the time it remains at the factory ? — Insufficient cool- ing. Bad ]tacking in badly made boxes or tubs. Does butter, in warehouses, have to undergo certain manijiula- tions to fit it for exportation ? — Yes ; it is generally kept in a low temperature. Is butter, in the warehouses, classified with a view to adapt it specially for this or the other nuirket ? — No. What defects would these manipulations tend to obviate ? — None at all. Do yon know, of your own knowledge, that there arc creameries in this Province that have neither icehouses nor cold-storage of any kind ? — Yes. At what degree ought the temperature of a good cold-storage be maintained in summer ? — At H3° F. — 75 — Can such a t('mp(3ratnre be maintained without ice or a refri- gerating apjiaratu.s ? — No. How long ought it to be before 1)utter is brought into a store at the above temperature ? — 12 hours. Does the refrigerating service organized on the railroads give satisfaction to the trade in this respect ? — No. (u:) Of the cold ? — InsuHicient. (h) Cleanliness of the cars ? — No attention paid to it. (c) Eegularity of service ? — SuiUcient. (d) Space afforded to consignors ? — Sutlicient, Is a weekly service sutlicient ? — At ])resent, yes. Are our creanuu'ies, in general, sutliciently jirotected against variations in temperature ? — I reply, without hesitation : No. What damage results from this as regards the ripening of cream and the working of butter ? — Makers of butter are compelled to have recourse to iiiipro])er methods of making, so as to neutrali/.e these damages ; ami this causes irreguhu'ily in the ipiality of their goods. Is it as necessary, in cold weather, to have means of raising the temperature in creameries, as to have means of lowering it in summer ? — Clearly. With a iew to assure to our Quebec butters the highest reputa- tion on the English market, is it not desirable that the butter should be offered there in the freshest possible condition ? — Not a doubt about it. For what length of time can butter remain in " cold-storage " ''t 40° F., without losing its freshness ? — Not more than 10 days. KEPLIES OF E. WHP:iiliY. Cheese- l7is2)e('tor, Knowlton, Que. CHEKSE. AROMA AND FLAVOUR. Will you be go jd enough to define the flavour that Cheddar cheese ought to ])ossess in order to 1)0 classified as " Finest " ? — A clean, soft, nutty flavour. Do you distinguish between the terms jlavoar and arom(ji' iu cheese ? — Yes. — 76 — If yes ; in what does it consist ? — Flavour refers to the taste, aroma to the scent. Has Quebec cheese, generally, the proper aroma?— The cheese from our district is, as to aroma, some of the best in Canada, if pro- perly made. Do you find in cheese the flavour of almonds or of nuts ? — I find the nutty flavour in good cheese, but not the bitter taste of almonds. In what district do you meet with the finest aroma ? — In the country of Brome. In what district do you find the greatest uniformity of aroma ? — Still, in Brome. Can you mention one or more factories in each district, where the cheese possesses the aroma specially ])reforred by this or that market ? — In 1891, there were 200 cheeses selected in the district of Bedford, by Clement, of Glasgow. Fifty of them were sent to London, 50 to Liverpool, 50 to Edinburgh, and 50 to Glasgow, The aroma was judged as " Fine, " on all tliese markets. The aroma of our best cheese suits every market. What are the principal bad flavours that are met with in cheese ? — Those that ])roceed from want of (3are and constant uiicleanlincss. Are there any peculiar to certain districts ? — Yes. What are they for each district ? — Every district has a specific flavour proceeding from peculiarities of climate, atraosi)here, vegeta- tion and water. HODY, TEXTURE. What are the characteristic of a good texture ? — It should be smooth and silky. And cheese of a good body should be ? — Firm, close, and meaty. Has our cheese generally both good texture and body ?— Yes, in my district. Still, it is very hard here to get a firm, close body in cheese. In what part of the Province are these defects the least common ? — In the district of Bedford. ' Is there one district, or are there more, that can be adduced as rnndtds in this respect ? Whicii are they ? I can instance Bed- ford as one. There are several others, but I do not know their names, COLO UK. What ought to be the natural colour of cheese ? — A light, pale amber. — 77 — Do you not think that in the Province of Quehec, where the milk is exceptionally ricli, only " pale " cheese should be made ? — Yes. Is it not your opinion that tiio manufacture of " dead white/' cheese leads to a heavy loss of fat, and consequently is a mistake, when tlie milk is rich ? — I don't think it onght to be made at all, and I believe that to make too white cheese is an error. It pro- duces too much acidity and gives a l)itter flavour. Considering the frecjuent blnnders that arise in making coloured cheese, would it not be better for the Province to give up making it altogether ? — Yes. Can you give us, as models of colour-uniformity, some districts in this Province ? — The district of Bedford. For coloured cheese ? — I do not know of any. For pale cheese ? — The district of liedford. Is cheese generally salted ? — Yes. (a) According to the taste of the market for which it is intended ? —Yes. (6) And according to the necessity of its preservation, according to the time of the year in which it is made ? — Yes. APPEARANCE. What are the requisite dimensions of a cheese ? (a) Diameter, 15 inches. (6) H.iight, 10 inches. And the most popular weiglit ? — 70 lbs. Show, in figures, the imj)ortant depreciation suffered hy cheese from each of the following defects : Dirty or mouldy a])pearance ? — ^ ct. a lb. Want of perpendicularity (i.e. not standing upright. Trans.) ? — I ct. a lb. Strings above and below the circumference of the cheese. Cloths badly folded down, or badly shaped ? — ^ ct. No cloth (calico) covers. — Nothing. What total difference does the trade make between a cheese of irreproachable appearance, and one of neglected look ? — From }• to \ ct. a lb. Will a cracked cheese, even if it be excellent in all other qualities, sell for the higliest market price ? — 'Not at present, but it has in the past. What is the depreciation ? — Not more than I ct. a pound. — 78 — What arc tho dimensions required of a box intended to hold a cheese of the size you mentioned ahovu : J)iameter ? — 15| inches. ■ Height ? — 10 inches inside. Siiow, in brief, what are t!ie qualities of a good box, as regards : The wood ? — Ehn. Number of nails ? — Eighteen nails of iron wire. The cover ? — A llange (rebord) — of o-inches, strongly made. Scarling {assemblage) ? — None at all. Of the arrangement of bottom and the cover hoops ? — In both cases, tlierc should be a strong band, o inches broad. Must the box be cut down level to tlu; top of tlie clieese ? — Well, it makes them easier to handle in transit. Is it an advantage or the reverse to have the covers nailed on at the factory ? — I do not think it an advantage. Would not a closely iitting cover do as well { — Ves. Where should the weight be marked ? — On tho recess of the sides of the box, (1) ►Should it be branded J' — Yes. Do vou like the idea of the boxes bearing the trade-mark of the factory ? — Yes. What size should it be { — x .') inches. Where should it be put ? — On the side of the box. KKKPINCJ GHEESK. Is cheese sufficiently mature when it leaves the factories ? — No. If not, how great a share of blame for it attaches to the sellers ? — They are responsible for lialf the bl;mie. Are two full weeks enough to enable cheddar to stand the voy- age ? — Not invariably ; all depends ujjou the time of the year. Would it be beneficial to have two different rooms in which to keep the cheese during these two weeks ? — Yes, if not too cold. But to keep the two rooms ar, different t(,'m])eratures ? — Yes. And to have one damper than the olner ? — '["hat is not neces- sary. Have you had any experience in ripening Cheddar in a cellar ? — Yes. Is it a good plan ? — No ; it is more likely to turn mouldy and become bitter, (1) Anfoncement certainly mefiiis lecesn, but I do not luideivstiind its , impli- cation in this place, A. R J. F. — 79 — What are the chief defects in the ri})eiiiiig rooms or factories in the I'luvince of Quebec ? — Not enough protection against lieat and cold. Are these defects more injurious at one season of the year than at another ? — Yes. When do you tliink elieese ouglit to he sent out from the factory ? — When it is ripe enough to be crushed by rubbing it between the finger and tltunil) withcnit showing lumps. G.VKKIAGE. Does cheese suffer by being carried about ? — Yes. From the factory to the point of dispatch ? — Yes ; on account of its exposure to the sun, the rain, and dust. On the railroad ? — Yes ; because it is sometimes put in contact with such things as green hides, oil casks, and that in liorribly stinking compartments. On steamers ? — I do not know. Could the Forwarders' Companies improve their service in this respect ? — Yes. In what way ? — By throwing a heavy cloth over the van in which this cheese is being carried, and in transporting it to the station or whai'f in tht; (;oolest part of the day. i>y sending it in clean cars, lined with felt and wood, for the ])rotection of the cheese against heat and cold. Refri'ierator-compartments should be available in warm weather, for a great deal of cheese is damaged for want of precaution. Are refrigerator-warehouses a great benefit to the cheese-trade ? Of some benetit. Would it be a good thing if refrigerating-apjiaratus were put into factories to co(d the cheese after ri[)ening and l)efore being sent off ? — Yes. How many days should intervene after ripening before the cheese is cooled in ])r(!j)aration for its dis})atch : T> Tir^ -1 2 "I -'^ll depends upon the time of year. See the preced- i> T)\ i r inK answer. I do not like the idea of over-cooling J>y Boat ? 1 1 " ° •^ ; cHeese, Have not exports of clieese in cold compartments in ocean stea- mers already })een made ? — Yes. Satisfactory results ? — I know nothing about it. — 80 — FACTORIES. What is tiiu greatest defect in our cheese factories as regards ; (a) The building ? An unsuitable site ; walls too thin to be an eiiicient protection against heat and cold ; bad ventilation and bad drainage. (6) Oi' the installation? Wanting in practical system, or not having a thoroughly experienced tactful maker; want of interest on the part of tiie patrons, all the ambition of the latter being the securing of the manufacture of cheese at a reduced cost. ((/•) Of the fittings ? Bud wood and cheap machinery. ((/) Of the care lakeii ? Want of cleanliness, order, atttention to details and to keeping tiic place in good repair. What is the smallest fpuintity of nnlk with which a cheesery can be carried on without loss ? — An average of 5,000 lbs, a day. If there arc any in the Province that do i)ot receive that ([uantity, and are not sure ot seeing it increase rapidly, what would you advise their pro])rietors to do ? — To shut them up and sell tiiem for a cowhouse or stable. Can you give us a fair charge for making cheese at a factory : Of 4 cheeses a dav ? — 2^ cts. a lb. Of 8 " " ' l~lh " Of 12 " " ?— li " " Of 20 " " i~i " And at these rates, what ought the proprietor to supply ? — The apparatus, or iTn])lements, and the labour. Is a factory that has no means of heating complete ? — No. Are not our cheeses sent out too green ? — Yes. AGE OF CHEESE. When ought cheese to be sent awav from the factorv ? — After from 2 to 4 weeks. What damage is caused by sending it away too green ? — The excess of moisture causes the cheese afterward #to acquire a bitter taste and to nujuld. Cannot cheese sent away from "j Yes ; but not as well as at the the factory when too new rijten |- factory. It would be injur- afterward in the cold-storage ?... j ed, as I said before — 81 — SALE OF CHEESE. Is it better to sell clieese by ])rivate sale, us is the custom in Quebec, or .not ? — It is not advantageous to do so, Or by public sale, like the Ontario Cheese B(jards ? — That is the ])etter way. Do you liold that these Boards, in conseqence of the i^uotations publicly stated there, have contributed to the high repute Ontario clieese holds in England ? — Yes. Would it be well to establish Boards in (Quebec like those in Ontario ? — Yes. ^ Where ought the deliveries of cheese to l)e made ? At Mon- treal ? Or at the factory ? It is next to impossible to make tleli- very of cheose at the factory the rule, as the cheese of different fac- tories has to wait for tlie siinie steamer, whicli nticessitates too much ex]ienditure on tlie part of the buyers. If you have ;uiy objcctiuiis to accepting delivery at the factory will you please state them ? — A buyer has not the time to accept the clieese of twenty factories at the sanu^ time. If it bo out of the question for buyers to accept delivery at the factory,can there not be, for every district, a lixed day for delivery at a given ])lace easy of access fur the whole district ? — Cheese is sent by mail from so many jioints, that to adopt this system to the satisfaction of evei'y one is impossible. f!ENFJ{AL COXSIDEli.VTIONS, Have you found, during the last few years, any imjtrovement in the ([uality of tlie cheese and butter in tlie Eastern-Towusliips { — Yes ; very great im])rovements. In case of tliere i>eing no imiimvcment in any ])articular district, will you point out in ii, word the defect in the cheese or l)utter ? — If there is no iiii])rov(!meiit, it is due to tlie want of ins])ection and to the negligence of patrons and makers in not taking into account the atmos[)heric variations and the improvements that are required. Has the encouragement given to liutLer-makiiig been produi-tive of good results ? — Yes, What ])rogress has the export-trade in butter made of late ? — Consideral ile progress. What is your view of the system of comi)etition starte. — '' Good," (85), Fine, (90), " !^:xceUent " (Ooj in the scale as settled bv the trade, Witli a view to compelliuu; the makers to improve their sys- tmu more rapidly could not the Montreal Jiutter and Cheese Asso- ciation adopt an olUcial clussirKtation of 3 ([ualities with correspond- ing ([notation ? — Yes ; in making a difrerence of one cent a pound, bad cheese would soon cease to be made. 1st quality, I tj- i . i 4. • ■' one " Common ? ) i » Considering the marks obtained by Quebec clieese at tlie Exhil)i- tions at Chicago (1 i very badly. Comfortable ? — Yes. Kept clean? — No; the winter's dung is piled behind the cows in the C(jwhouse. Are they so arranged that the feeding nuiy be easily done and the nuinure preserved ? — For the first part of the question, yes ; manure is, as said before, kept in the cowhouse. What cowhouse would you select as a model to the people of your district ? — Mr Fisher's. What im])rovement has he introduced ? — Guernsey cattle, — thoroughbreed and cowhouse of the most improved type. — 84 — CAKE OK MILK. Ai'u llic cows iiiilkiMl ill iui iiTuiii'oiiclialdu iiiiiiiiu;!' in ynur dis- ti'ict ?— No. Do you consider the ueniLiou ol" milk in ;i puie, clear atnio);!- phere as in(li.s])eusable ? — Yes ; for clieese-iiiaking. Do you j^'o so far as Lo advise the aeration of each cow's milk- separately ?— No. Why ;' — W(i arrive at the same result without that trouble. Do you attach great importance to it? — Ves ; the very greatest. Why are we advised to cool the milk ;ifter aeration i — Simi)ly to keej) it swi^et in hot weather. Is it im[)ortant to cool the milk ({uickly i Not necessarily. Will y(ju give your reasons ? — i>ecause it is only necessary to lower the temj)eratnre to keep it sweet. Is it possible to lay too much stress on these details of clean- liness, aeration, and cooling i — No, Whv do cheese makers ol)iect to cooling milk too low ? — Ue- cause milk has to reach a certain degree of fermentation or ripen- ing before being made into cheese, and too low cooling increases the gas, and prolongs tiie fermeiuation. It also prevents the percep- tion of the l)ad smells in the milk when being received. Excess of cooling t'-onceals dirty habits. Does not this reason ap])ear to be founded on the fact that other safeguards have been too much neglected? — No ; cooling affects milks however clean anil well aerated it may be, and obliges the maiver to w.irni it and make it ri[)en, or to use a ferment, CAIIUIAGE OF .MILK. Are the patrons always careful to cool their milk in a ])ure, fresh atmosphere ( — No ; this is one of the most serious dilUcultic^s we encounter. Is the transport of milk to the factory generally done in an economical way :* — No. If so, why not ? — Each individual draws his own milk, while it would be far cheaper to ha\e it drawn by contract in heavy doads. J low far are bad roads an obstacle to the economical transport of milk ^ — So far as this : they prevent the drawing of hea\y loails. — 85 — liKCKITIoN I'OK MILK. Do iiiiiki;vs accept dirty milk ^- N'cs. AJilk siiKjUiiio l»a(lly ? — Yos. Too sour milk ;' — \'cs. Why, on ciirtli, do they ;" — Too .small t'iu'tories, loo close toj^'c- ther. Proprietors fear less thai it ilv milU is refused the patrons will go to another factory. If a maktu' has not alisoliUi! control over llic reception of the milk is it fair to blame him for (hji'iu'ts in the ar>ima of liutfcr and cheese, when there is no othtu- fault to he found with the making ? — No. Jf the faults of the milk are not ]i damage resulting to the ([uality of the cheese { — No. Do makers always s(^t the example of (deanliuess in the (!are : Ou their own |)ers(»ns ? — Xo. Of their factory ^ — N(». And, (fuiphatically, of the skim-milk and whey-vats? — No. Is not negligence on some of these ]ioints, the reason why patrons ar(' n(it much inclined to follow their advice ? — Yes. Arc milk and other pail«. and the utensils used in general in cheese and butter-making kei)t by makers and patrons in cleanli- ness : Sufficient? ^ vt . .i i ^c^.^ -11 . 1 i. <• 4. • c i.- T of -^fo ; not more than hair the nuik taken to lactones bastldlOUS ? '-,. , ' ,, ,.^. r i-i • 1 T T. I -r I 1 i lulhls tiie C(mditions ot tlieu- cleanliness. Doubtful ? .) How far ought cleanliness in all the details be carried ? — It can- not l)e carried too far. Is it well understood, by patrons and makers, that to take to the factory any milk, not only if it be adulterated or falsified, but even if it be dirty or sour, is to l)reak the law, (jr at least to be guilty of a fraudulent act ? — The former is understood, but not the latter. Ifcnvabout milk of a sick cow") Yes. They understand all about or of one fresh-calved ? | that in tiiis district. They have y been told of itu hundred times, How about milk unfit for the j both verbally and in the bulle- nianufacture of a good article ? J tins issued What do you think about tlie habit of som^; jtatrons of keeping in their cans, till two or three o'clof^k in the afternoon, whey or skim milk in a more or less stage of fermentation ? — This injures greatly the flavour of the cheese. It is one of the filthy habits that are common here. — 86 — In places vvheve it is tho custom to carry back the whey or skiin-inilk in the whohi-milk (vm, otiLjht not precautions to be very carefully taken to prevent the whole-milk IVom sutVeringfroui it ? —Yes. Has not the danger of this practice caused in some parts the establishment of co-o])erative piggeries, where the by-products are consumed in ftitu. ? — Yes. What do you think of them, as regards the economical product- tion of pork ? — I do not think much of them. In factories, where the whey or skim-milk is not returned to the farmers, are not pains taken to clean the cans for them ? — No. Which is preferred in your district ; cheese or butter-making ? — Cheese, generally. Are the ^' good " factories too numerous in your district ? — Y'^es. FACTOHIKS. Are there any factories in your district that make fewer than four cheeses a day at th;; end of June i — Y(^s. How nniuy ? — Last year, about one-third. Why were they started ? — For the pur[)ose of compelling the makers to reduce the rate of manufacture, and to make them accept inferior milk. What reason liavc they lor (Mnliniiing to work ? — No others. Are they a genuine source of ])rolit to their proprietors ^ — No. Or to the patnuis that patronize them ? — No, they are an injury to them. How far can b;id roads be put forward as an excuse for the erec- tion of factories so near each other :* — Not very far. Has the Department of Agriculturt* been solicited to send the road-machines to dilfereut )»laces ?- — Yes. THK S\I.H Ob" DMUV-GOOnS. How ani sales of dairy-goods usually conducted in your district : In Boards of Trade (Cheese-boards) ^ — Yes. Have you any complaints to make about the present mode ? — Yes. Has anything been proposed alxjut a IJoard of Trade in your district ? — Wo liave had one for the last two years. Do yon know of any agents who, whih* selling cheese at so — 87 — much a box, ])ayablo by the patrons, are paid anotlier commission by the buyers ? — I tliink there are many like cases. Are there complaints in your district about the weighing of butter and cheese ? — Yes. Do people grumble about the l)uyers " cutting" j)rices ? — Yes. Has recourse b(!en liad to the Dominion Inspector at Montreal for the settlement of such dilliciihi.s :' — Yes; but he has not the the power to follow up his «lecisions (?".'•. there are no sanctions or legal penaMicii A. H. -]. F.), so tbe buyers make fun of him. Are dairy goods sold, in your district, at tiie true value ? — Not as a rub'. hi otht-r Words, does tbe tnidc make a suiticient distinction be- tween good and inferior products ? — NTot enough difference. The good makes up for the bad. In the end. tiie producers are over- reached. In fact, tlie l>uyers pay wbat tbe cheese is worth en bloc, but it is not classilied according to individual merit. Had a greater distinction l»een made betwecsn a good and a bad article in tbi; past, would not tlie trade bave lontj; aiio sent the bad article to tbe riglit-about ? — True, In your district, are lliere any factories that sell " weight and (puility accepted at tbe factory," price paid on delivery ? — No. Is tbis ])lan apjn-oved of ? — No ; not here. Could it be made general ? — Tbe ]tliin would canse a vast loss of time and expense. Ml! AYEII'S REPLIES jrjTTEIl AUOMA OH FLAVOLK Do you make any distinction between jlnvour and aroma in butter ?— No. Has Quebec butter, in general, the desired aroma ? — About one- fourth of it lias. In whii^h district is it the best ? — In Heilford. And in whicli is it the most uniform ? — In Rey* spotted" butter? — Butler with white spots. To wdiat do yuu attribute those white s])ovs ? — To the churning of the liutter at a wrong temjiei'ature, or to badly ripened cream, either tf)o frt'sh. too sour, or too thick. And " mottled " l)ulter; what do you understand l>y that ] — lUitter the (!olour of which is neither regular nor uniform. To what do you attribute those mottles ? — To the bad work- ing of the butt(0', oi' to a mixtui'e of diffei'cnt c(doured butter care- lessly made. SALT. What proportion oJ' salt does this or liu- othitr mark(!t rei^uii'e i — From \ to H til" iiii o/. to the pound. Do you generally Hnd our butter faultv in respect to salt ( — Yes. In what pan of the I'rovinct^ is bultcr, as to salt, best turned out ? — Very few butter-makers manage the salting oi their butter well. — 89 — Would it 1x3 jiossilile, as thinifs stautl, to send to Knj,dand less hiuldy .saltod hmter ? — Ves. In sucli a case, what W(»idd be the least possible (jiiantity of salt that could be used with )»erfect safety ^ — h an oz. a jutunil. Do you !ittril)ute tu the sidt. or to certaiu kiuds of salt, the iishy taste couijilaiued of in souie butters :" — 'J'his delect generally is caused by tlie butter having been ex]toseil to the smell arising from oil or tish. From what part of the Prtivinee do butters with a fishy taste generally conu' ^— Fidui |)laces nloug the lnter('(»lonial. Is it always tn be met with ? — Ves. What brand of salt do you recomuu'ud particularly ? — Barrel- salt is the ocst, for it does uot dirty the butter so much. The "Windsor" l»iaud is good. Can you give the makers a way to tind out if the salt contains any suiell likely to iujure the butter? Smelling ttie salt will some- times detect it. PACKING Do all the markets in Kngland want the same s'cyle of jiackage ? — Casks are seldom euiployed ; tubs of 70 lbs. often are ; but boxes are ]ireferre(l now. Does the same style suit the sauu; market throughout the sea- son ? — Yes. What diuuMisious are best suited to each style ? Rutherford ])ateut Rox, lO'i in. high, 14 long, 12^ wide. The cou)mou box 11 " " 12 " 12 Interior measureuunit. Is the use of pai'clnuent ])ai)er aljsolutely necessary, or nuly convenient. .Vbsolutidy necessary. Is its use suiUciently geuenil here ? — Nft. Is the advantage derived from its use imyiortant enough to jus- tify the cost its employment involves ? — Ves. Do the English luiycrs tiud that this ]»aper is always arranged with pro]»er care ^ — No. Is the pa]»er never disordered when the butli-r is being weighed at the wandiouse ? — It is oidy disarraugcil in those boxes or tubs that are pierced with the taster; in which case it shoidd Ite re- newed. Are package^!, parafHned on I'^e wood inside, better for the pre- servation of butter ? — Yes. — 90 I)am[j .storinj^ rooms, vuiventiliiteil, with va- riiilde tciiijiuratui'L' liivlly slieltered boxes or tubs KF.KlMNci BUTTKR. What are the. cluuf causes of (kiimgc to butter, from its being made to its eonsuuiptiou in I^ni^land ? — Too hi;,'h uud too change- abl(! a teni]ii'rature. (a) Durinii; tlic time it remains in the"^ factory { (6) i)uriug its transporl to Montreal or to the .shi|)|)iu,L»; j)orl i (^ (c) In t\\o warehoused' [ {^ F. Can this be secured without ice or a refrigerating aj>paratus '. — No. How hmg shouM it b(?, after making, before butter is brought down to this temperature { — About "> ilays. Docs tlie cold-storage in the railroads them conveniently in this respect? — Yes. Are the cold stoj-ages at present existing at the ports of ship- ment sufficient : (a) As to temperature ? "^ (6) S].ace afforded? ] (c) isolation from ditfercnt goods i ^ Yes : to all these questions. (d) General cleanliness ? ( (e) Factories ? j — 91 ~ Aro our oivjinuM-it's, in fjciK^ral, siiUli-icutly proU-ctod ai^'iiinst variations in U'liijicriitiiU' ? — No. How are th(> ri|)(!ninutter remain in cold-storage (at 40" F.) without losing its freshness f — Xdt mon; than a week. Wliat is the average temperaiure of the warehouses at the ports of shipment ?— A temperature of 20" K. can be niiiintained, and anything higher is not trustworthy. Butter should never be ship- \)('d that has not been ke]>t in a temperature of 20"^, or lower, for at least a week. CHEESE Aroma Be good enougii to deline the aromn of Cheddar cheesi!, on account of wliicii it would be classilied as " Finest " ? — Flavour clear and pure, body firm and good, texture silky, etc. ; colour good and uniform, cheese uniform and well finished, clean, with a good rind ; boxes strong and well fitting. What are the itrincipal causes of bad llavoiir in cheese ? — IJad milk, bad water, bad food for cows. Are there special causes in certain districts ( — Same reply. Can you give them for each district ] — Same replv. BODY, TKXTL'liE. Has our cheese, generally, a good texture '. — Yes. Generally a good body ? — Yes. If not perfect, what is its chief fault ? — Too moist. In what ])art of the province ai-e these (hdects the least pro- minent ? — In the south, and in the older counties. Where the more frec^uent i — In new settlements. ()0 COLOUR WImt ought to be'tlu' colour ufn, cliei'se not artificially (coloured ? —White. Do you not think that in th(3 |»roviiice of Quebec, on account of th(>. superior riclnuss of its milk, no other coloured cheese than " jiale " ouylit to ho nuide :* — Not ne<;t'.ssarily. la it not your opinion tliat the making of " ilead-white " cheese causes a greater loss of fat, and consequently is a blunder, when one's milk is rich ? — Not necessarily. Ought not, in this case, ihe making ol' " dead-white" cheese to bo limitiid to distrids where the milk is less rich i — No. On account of the constant accidents that occur in making colour- ed cheese, would it not bo better for the province to give up mak- ing, it altogether ? — No. SALT. Is cheese generally salted : (a) To tlie taste of the intended niiirkct i — Ves. (6) And according to the needs in. (6) Height, 10 to^ll in. Weight ]>er pound ? — 70 to 80 ]iounds. Give, in figures, the depreciation resulting U) a cheese from each of the following defects ; Dirty appearance ;* — 1 ct. I^fouhly ?— 1 ct. Xot standing uprights — h ct. Cloths badly lapped over or awkwardly cut :*— j to \ ct. No cotton covers ? — i ct. What is the total dei»reciatiou in the pricie, made by the trade, between a cheese perfect in ai)pearance and a badly turned out cheese ? — ', to 1 cent. Will a cracked cheese, although good in every other respect, sell at the highest market-price ? — No. What would be the depreciation ? — \ ct. to 1 ct. - 93 - Is it absolutely necessary that the box be cut down to the height of tlie cheese ? — Yes. Is it beneficial or the reverse that the box-covers be nailed down at the factory ? — If they tit well, no need to nail them, A well fitting cover is su(lici(Mit, then ? — Yes. Whereabout should the weiglit be marked { — On the side of the box. Should it bo branded ? — Yes. Do you prefer boxes branded with the factory trade-mark ? — It is not necessary. What size should it be ? — Oval, ^ inch by 2 inches. KEEl'lNG ClIKKSH. Does cheese ripen sufficiently in tlie factory ? — Sometimes. If not, what fault have you to find with tlie sellers on this point ? — A great many faults. Are two full weeks enough to enable Obeddar to stand the voyage ? — No ; the newest clieese should have two weeks, and tlie older four weeks. Should the cheese be ke})t at the same temperature for the two weeks ? — Yes. And, if there are two ripening rooms, should one be damper than the other ? — No. Have you had anv experience in ript'iiiug cheese in a cellar ^ — No. Do you think it a good plan ? — No. What are the chief faults of the ripeniug rooms in Quebec fac- tories ? — Too hot. Are there some seasons when these defects are more injurious than at others ? — Yes. How soon after being made ought cheese to be sent away from tlie factory ^ — The newest ought lo lie three weeks old. CARillAGE. Does cheese suffer in the journey from the factory to the port of shipment i — Yes. On the railway ? — Yes. On the boat { — Yes. How, and from what ? — Heat and want of cleauliiifss. — 94 — Could tlio Korwiirdiiii^f Cojupiuiios iiupvovo tlu; service in these respects ? — Vcs. Are relVigurating wavuliouscs very bcnufii.'iiil to the trade in chuese ^ — Yes. Would it hv. useful to tlu; trado it" rofri<,'eratin<^ chainbers wp'e annexed to factun'es, tluive to cool the chet^se alter being rip.MKsd and bulore l)('iiig < isjialchcd ^ — Nt). Have not f.x))oiiation . of ehei.'su already been made in refrige- rating conii)ar(nn',nts in thi- ocoan steamers .' — No, ])rui»erly speaking. F.VCTOUIKS. What, in tlieir construction, is thf greatest defect in our cliee.se- ries ? — They are nothing but ohea])ly built i)arns. A(;e ok chkkse, Ts not our cheese sent away from the factory too soon ? — Yes. When ought it to bo sent oil' ? — 12 to 20 days after nuiking, Will cheese, sent from the factory too green, rijten afterward ? — In the refrigerating stores, for instance ? — No. Or on the voyage ? — No. SALP: 01- CUEK.SE. Is it better lo sell cheese by vrivate sale, as is the custom in the province of Quebec ? — Neither one nor the other. Or by public sale, as on the " Cheese boards " of Ontario ? — No better. Oo you thiidv tliat the latter plan, in consequence of the quota- tions that are j>ublished there, iiave had anything to do with the higli repute Ontario cheese enjoys on the English market ? — No. Would it b(! a gooti thing for Quebec to establish " Cheese- boards " here, liice those of Ontario ? — Not necessarily. Where onglit delivery of cheese to be made? — Either ih Mon- treal or a,t the factory, If you have any objections to accept delivery of cheese at the factory will you please give tliem ? — Tiie cost of inspection would be too great, ami the ])rice paid for clieese would have to be raised from ^ to \ of a ct. If it is out of the question that buyers accept delivery at the — 9r. — c Yes. factory, could there not be, in i^vciv district, ii day fur delivery uL a given point ; easy of access from all (iiuiiters of the ilislrict ? — Yes. GKNKIIAL CONSIDEKATIUNS. * Have you observed of late any improvement in the ([uality. OF CIIKESK. OF i;UTTEH in the following districts : Kastern-Tu\vnshij)s ? St-llyacinthe > Vanuiska and Nicolet '. Arthabaska ? Megantic ? \ Yes. Beauce { IJelow Quebec ? Charlevoix /... Chicoutimi and Lake 't-.Iohn From Quebec to Three- iJi vers ? — No. From Three-Hi vers to Montreal ? — Xo. In the valley of the Ottawa? — Xo. Has the encouragement given to the nuiking of butter been ju'o- ductive of good results ? — Yes. What do you think of the system of comjK'tition, organized last season 1»y the Peitartmcnt of Agriculture '. — It is a good thing. With a, view t(» compelling the makers to improve their manu- facture mort! rapiilly, could not the " Tvloulreal IJulLcr and Cheese Association ado])t an oHicial classitication of three corresponding (pialitics ? — Yes. Considering th(^ number of marks awarded t(j Quebec ciieose at the E.xhibitions at ( "liicago (IS!^"), Toronto (I S'j:'.), .Montreal (1895), and at the Provincial ('om])('titioti (ISDCt), is it fair to conclude that our makers turn out " Finest Quebec " cheese ? — Xo. What does thatttuiu "Finest Quebec," given in the nuirket quo- tations, means ? — The linest