Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-05-21
Agricultural.
BUTTER MAKING.

Di 1 1 EN- MAhlNh.
The art Of making good butter is under
stood by but few anybody can make pooi
article that will pass for butter. The vcry
best Of butter will command in the Boston OF
New York market 35 cents per pound, the
year round. and yet how small proportion
Of the butter that finds its way to market re.
alizos over l Z to 20 cents per pound. There
Is one gentleman doing business in this city,
who receives 40 cents per pound for every
pound Of butter made on his farm in Wor-
cester county, the whole being taken by one
OF our hotels. One of our grocery stores
has, during the past six months, paid Gdy
cents per pound for a large weekly consign-
ment Of butter made in Philadelphia, besides
paying express charges, and it is sold at a
profit. The fact is that the wealthier classes
Of the community will pay much more than
the regular market price for a really extra ar
tiolo Of butter, and farmers and dairymen will
find their profits in catering to this part of
the trade. II is not just as easy to make
good butter as a poorer article, but the profit
received for first rate article in comparison
with that obtained for ordinary butter is so
large an item that no dairyman can afford to
make and sell the latter. We have been
much interested in the following article.
written by one of the best agriculturists in
New York from which it will be seen that
the farmer is as much responsible for the fail
ure 70 make nice butter as his "gudewifc."
Mr.. Dickinson starts with stating that
there is more labor lost in spelling butter
than is required to make it we'll. The mar
ket is largely supplied with an over-w worked
article which, when made, is grease instead of
butter. There is to be large allowance for
the bad butter Of last fall on account Of the
excessive rains of the season The pastures
were less nut.itious, and the grass was rank,
but inslpid, and in many instances moldy OF
mildcwed. Mr.. d. doubts whether a really
good frkin Of butter can be found now:
will cndeavor to give the general out
lines, the essential leading principles, without
attempting to give all the exact details, as it
would be much easier task to teach man
to make a watch, than how 20 make the first
quality of butter as it is the most sensitive.
it is the most liable to injury Of all the cat
ablcs extracted from the vegetable kingdom.
The first important thing for making butter.
is the cow. Without stopping to give full
description for selecting, she must give good
rich milk as first quality of butter cannot be
made from poor pale milk, as pale milk lacks
the essential quality of good butter.
The idea of coloring butter with anything
after it is made, is as absurd as would be
painting rye bread to make 1t white. with the
expectation Of changing its flavor Butter is
so sensitive, it partakos of everything that
can affect it, that it comes in contact with as
onions, carrot, parsnips, turnips, fish or any
thing else that would mako it unpalatable.
either in the butter or the milk churning.
Not only so, but the butter partakes Of every
thing the COW eats or drinks, and the longer
it stands after being made the more percept-
bic will the unpalatable things on which She
fed make themselves manifest Bv this il
will be seen that the most important thing
for first quality butter, is the food for the
COW. Neither from roots of any sort or
kind, nor grain of any description, can first
quality butter be extracted, 1t must be from
something that imparts a sweeter and finer
flavor, and from nothing that grows in this
country. that ! know, except timothy, white
clover, blue grass, red top and foul meadow
can first qaaity of butter be made, that will
stand the test so as to remain sweet until the
next Winter or Spring after it is made and
each of these grasses must have been sowed
or seeded down sufficiently long and so well
cared for as to have a sod thick enough to
make it produce fine solid grass, to make it
a perfect dairy pasture, though many other
grasses will make good butter for immediate
use. but not to keep. The COW, too. must be
we'll wintered, however good she may have
been to make good butter, because il poor
lcr milk will also be poor and white. and of
course the butter ditto. Your correspondent
says, "lf you had seen, as have done the
armers wives and daughters with tears in
heir eyes, when told that the product of their
summers labor as shown in their butter, was
a poor article &c, &c. For none of these
things arc the dairy women in the least re-
'ponsible, and no one but the daryman or
orovider of the cows food yet in this, as
many. very many instances, the wrong per-
IONS are held accountable for things over |
which they have no control. The manufac- /
uring is an essential part of the business, vet
he neglect of any of the above requirements
S fatal to first rate dairy for Winter use.
The COW must be looked after as soon as
he comes in, and MIXED sufficiently after to
prevent her bag from becoming feverish and
aking, as one milking from a feverish COW
would spoil whole churning, and that would
poll whole frkin in which it was packed.
hough 1t might not be perceptible for imme-
late use, and none but the skillful butter
maker would perceive it in the churning of
he butter. Such milk froths and foams, and
When IT does this well as from other causes,
t is always safest to sell it for immediate use,
IT pack it separately in a frkin to sell for
What it will bring. The churn should be as
Yearly straight up and down as possible, as
he dash should stir all the milk every stroke
t makes, so that the hutter in the churn
hould all come at the same time. If the
milk is too cold, the only safe way TO warm IL
$ to place pail of milk in large boiler of .
warm water, to bring it to the exact tompera-
ure, which is about So degrees to 60 degrees
"a few degrees warmer in cold than in warm
Weather. As soon as the butter has come
nd gathered, take it Immediately from the
hurn in its warm state and put it in large
wooden bowl, which is the best vessel for the
urpose then put it in cold, soft water then 4
ommence pulling the butter over with
ldle in gentle aud careful a manner as not
o affect the grain, for as sure as that is in
ured at the washing or working, the butter
ecomes oily and can never be reclaimed.
Every particle Of milk must be washed out,
nd then season with the best of Liverpool
alt Set the bowl away until the next day,
nd when sufficiently cool, work the mass
but not so as to affect the grain,
nd on the third day pack it away if it has
ssumed the right color. Examine il well