But it’s interesting to see how things have changed. At the time of writing, according to the authors, veal calves, dairy-fed pork, Sussex fowls and milk-fed chickens—as well as the British producer—“have such a reputation that foreign competition has had little effect in reducing their value,” and thus all of the “bye-products” of dairying (separated milk, buttermilk, whey) could be used up. Surplus whole milk is pointed toward feeding veal calves, with the authors stating that “for first-class veal no food other than whole milk is recommended, although many add a little oatmeal.” They mention a season for veal (what a concept)—“from Easter till Whitsuntide or a little after.” As far as rearing milk or whey-fed pork, the sow should get “plenty of exercise in a grass paddock or orchard from April to July,” which is “conducive to her becoming the mother of a strong litter.”

The authors of a book unilaterally heralded as “one of the best manuals on the subject” (by The Field), and “one of the standard works on modern dairying” (by The Scottish Farmer), were commonsense technocrats looking to make farmers more efficient. Like today’s dairy innovators, they sought high yields, low waste, and product consistency. But they write from another era, one in which all farmers, not just those selling to niche markets, “need not value mere size nearly so much as good quality.”

Will our modern food system ever see the return of quality as a decisive criterion? That would be a progressive idea, indeed.