The butter-maker must have good buildings, and he must keep them in the best order.
But, besides these smaller dairy-farms, Marin County contains some large "butter ranches," as they are called, which are a great curiosity in their way.

The Californians, who have a singular genius for doing things on a large scale which in other States are done by retail, have managed to conduct even dairying in this way, and have known how to "organize" the making of butter in a way which would surprise an Orange County farmer.
Here, for instance--and to take the most successful and complete of these experiments--is the rancho of Mr.Charles Webb Howard, on which I had the curiosity to spend a couple of days.

It contains eighteen thousand acres of land well fitted for dairy purposes.

On this he has at this time nine separate farms, occupied by nine tenants engaged in making butter.

To let the farms outright would not do, because the tenants would put up poor improvements, and would need, even then, more capital than tenant-farmers usually have.