Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-02-18
Butter Making in Winter.

"Winter Butter" has no very inviable
reputation anywhere, and compared with
that made in june, seems an entirely
different article. Of course there are
reasons for this-let US enumerate some
OF them.
/. The character of the food is
changed from green and succulent herb
age, to dry hay, or more generally corn
stalks and straw. There is really very lit
tie butter in the latter.
=. The season is changed from mild
and warm to cold, bleak, and uncomfort-
able. There is a constant demand for
fuel to keep up the animal heat; this is
partly at the expense of the butter pro-
duet.
,. The management Of the milk be-
comes difficult. If kept in a cellar, and
Il little above freezing, the milk becomes
bitter before the cream rises; if allowed
to freeze, the cream rises at once, but is
injured in quality, and will produce very
white butter; if keptin the kitchen pan
try, where very warm during the day
and cold at night, it does not rise we'll,
aad is apt to be bitter and acid.
Other reasons might be mentioned.
but they will readily suggest themselves
to the reader. Let US see what can be
proposed to remedy the difficulties.
l.. Feed well-not dry food alone
but grain and roots, as a substitute for
grass. Carrots, turnips, beets, cabbages
etc, are all useful in keeping up the.
quality Of the milk. Let their fodder,
be cut, and some nutritious slops be pro-
vidcd, if roots are not to be had, and ::
is we!l to cut the fodder in any case.
2. The comfort of COWS should be
carefully attended to. While they suf-
fer from cold and filth, or foul air, they
cannot yield as good milk as when III
warm, clean stables, or in we'll Uttered
and sheltered yards. Water should al.
so be provided-it is the more needfu'
when dry forage is consumcd-and il
should be so arranged that every animal
could drink at will. A supply Of salt
is also necessary.
3. 1t is difficult to get a proper tenn.
pcrate for raising cream perfectly in
winter. Some butter makers scald their
milk when first drawn from the COW
Others let it stand twelve hours, and
then place the pan containing the milk
in a longer one filled with boiling water
allowing it to stand twelve hours long.
or, find the cream raised perfectly. L
is said that more and better butter car
be made in this way than in any other
Churning in winter, as usually man
aged, is oftern a serious operation. The
cream stands too long generally-bc.
coming very soul aad bitter. Or, it i:
too cold and froths up filling the churr
but produces no butter though churned
for hours. Let the cream pot sit neal
the ire for a few hours before churning
stirring it occasionally, that all may ge'
warm alike, and when it is at /;
proper temperature, 55 degrces-feeling
little warm to the fnger-the churnins
will be an easy half-hour's JOB, and tht
butter as yellow and hard as the season
will admit Of.
We have found that COWS generally
give better milk, when fed on well-curec
corn fodder, than on second rate hay
and with "a mess" of roots, apples, oil
pumpkins, would yield milk of very fail
quality. Attention to securing a sup.
ply of proper food for cows, and better
care of them, would 60 far to redeem the
name of winter butter from its presen.
character.