, 1858-07-16
Old FlrLln,. Buttsr-aIahlnE n1a1Im..

old Firlxin,s Butter-Malsing MaxIms.
In Emsry's Journal Of Agrieulture we
find the following communication, which con-
tains suggestions Of interest to butter makers
here:
"Old Firkin's" butter making article in
your Journal has suggested some inquiries
which I should like to have answered by
some experienced butter makers, not by as
sertions or opinions, but by facts. ! have
kept for some time butter record, in which
! have recorded the weight and quantity Of
milk skinned, the weight of cream churned,
the temperature, condition, &c, Of the cream
at the time Of chuining, and have found that
the positive knowledge thus gained has am
ply repaid the labor of keeping the record.
Old Firkiu says that "churning should be
done every day where eight cows or more
are kept" Now my experience with six
alternate churnings of sweet and sour cream
the cream not only soured, but thickened
was that the sour cream produced exactly
one-fourth more butter than the sweet, for
the weight of tho cream, and it did not vary
two ounces from this ratio in a churning Of
four pounds; thus twelve pounds Of sour
cream produced four pounds of butter, while
twelve pounds two ounces Of sweet cream
gave three pounds two ounces Of butter.
Tho cream was skinned from the same
quantity of milk with perforated skinner,
and the temperature and every other condi-
ton Of the milk were the same. Now, can
he sour his cream every day2 When the
cream has soured, but not thickened, have
experienced nearly tho same loss Of butter
so that my experience has led me to adopt
the rule laid down by an old Irish servant
woman once had, who carefully stirred the
Crenm twice o day till enough had accumu-
lated for one churning and then "set il to
ripsn," and wo to the hapless wight who
disturbed It till churning time. As soon as
the cream Is little sOured. (which can be
hastcnsd in winter by adding little butter
milk to it) if tits placed where the tempera.
ture is about 62e, and left undisturbed for
six or eight hours, It will thivken or 'ripen,
as I have learned to call it.
Again: Old Firkin recommends little Of
the milk to pass into the cream pan. For
what purpose, and what is the advantagel .
] lskimmed alternate churnings, with whole
and perforated skinner, and came to the
conclusion that all that the milk taken up by
the whole skinner did was to make the
chunlng heavier, for did not get quite as
much butter from the same weight of milk ;
II was harder to churn, and the buttermilk
was inferior. Again he says, AT temper
ature of 62e the butter will come in thirty
minutes, and I would not hsve II come sooner
If could" Now, with CrowelI's thermom-
eter churn, have not been able to make the
butter longer than ten or twelve minutes in
coming, if the temperature is 82s; even
perfbctly sweet cream came IN fourteen min.
ntes. Having seen it frequently stated that
Ghurning should occupy from thirty to fifty
minutes, | tried to increase the time, but
could only succeed by reducing the temper
ature, and when at see il took forty min.
.utes to churn. got not one ounce more
butter than when only nine minutes in churn-
ing, and twas much more difficult to gather
and work. IO0%H0L - a3HO49
On winter feed, that Is, an abundance Of
corn and corn fodder, with some hay and
occasionally dry barley meal, but no roots
or slOps, ! have averaged one and hall
ounces Of butter TO quart o. milk, and one
pound Of butter to three pounds Of cream,
skinned with the perforated slimmer.
Wide'mOuthsd bottles, partly filed with
molasses and water, and hung up in gar.
den, make excellent traps for the moths,
whica are the parents Of many destructive
6 H