Posted by Ed Kiser on August 12, 2006 at 23:28:07 from 152.163.101.7 user Kisered.
In WDMTGTS p292 (Godine edition) there is a drawing of a Dutch milk cart, pulled by a dog, with several large cans of milk on the cart, one with a spigot extending through a hole in the side to allow for the drawing off a portion of the milk for sale to some customer. These containers are referred to as "milk-churns," even though I would have called them "milk-cans." These containers are used to transport milk, not to be where the churning efforts converts the cream to butter, so it is a bit of a mis-nomer to call these "milk-churns."
In PP, in the first chapter, Roger is being paged, and as he runs to
answer, he dodges several milk-cans there on the railway train station
platform. There is no picture showing what these milk-cans look like,
but I picture them in my mind as being very much like the cans in the
Dutch cart, where they are used to transport the milk product in a
covered, large container.
In BS, the D&G trio have to leave Ranworth in a hurry, and accidentally leave their milk-can on the shore. One of the irate locals kicks this can into the water. No picture shows this can, but it seems to be a bit small, since Pete was "swinging" it as he stepped ashore.
In SD, they go up from the camp in Horseshoe Cove to the Swainsons to
get milk. As they hurry back, there is some spillage from the milk-can so Peggy takes over that carrying chore, with the observation that one must run without joggling the can and thus avoid the slopping over. This seems to indicate that there is no cover on the milk can, so it must be more like a bucket. Not a good way to carry milk, as the contents are rather exposed to trash like loose leaves or other dirt getting flipped into the milk with no cover to protect it.
The cans in the Dutch cart are large cans, not easily carried by a small boy, so are obvously not the same kind of container being carried on the run from Swainsons to Horseshoe Cove.
In PM, Jacky uses a milk bottle to provide this daily supply, so there
is no "milk-can" involved here.
So there seems to be two kinds of "milk-cans", one being the large
container of the Dutch cart, and on the PP train platform, and the
other being more of a bucket or pail that can be carried in one hand,
yet open to slopping and spillage and unprotected from contaminants
from falling into the milk.
Is the concept of a "milk-can" a rather general designation, applied
to any container in which milk can be carried, or is that a specific
item of known and constant description?
Ed Kiser, Kentucky