The Portland daily press., 1866-06-15
Agricultural.
Butter Making.

Every line of the following extract from
statement published in the Norfolk Transac-
lions will be found instructive. One part of
1t should be read by all who believe that pres
ent prices of butter are altogether too high
Another portion will be read by the women
and we hope that some men will take a hint
from its suggestions. The editor OF the N. z.
Farmer speaks of asample of Mr.. Cheever's
winter butter as equal to any he has ever tast-
ed at any season.
Having decided what not to do, took up
the one branch of farming left, namely, the
dairy. But this business could not carry on
in the usual manner, for want OF good pasture,
and am too far from village to be able to
sell my milk every day. So what shall do
but make butter, and that, too, principally on
hay and grain and green crops in their season.
fed in the stall? The advantages will be, a
chance to make q large amount of manure.
with which to keep up the fertility of the soil.
the saving of expense in keeping up ferces.
and, consequently, the less cost of working IL 6
cultivated fields. Then just as was commenc-
ing in earnest to make this dairy farm, the
increased interest in sheep and wool drew off
large part OF the capital from the dairy bust
ness, which as natural consequence made
better market for those who remained in it,
But there are few questions that have but
one side. Who is going to do all the work Of
making the butter from eight to ten cows ev-
cry week? Farmers wives, undoubtedly,
work the hardest OF any class in the commll-
nifty. They are expected to do the duties, not
only of the dning-room and parlor, but also
OF the nursery, the kitchen, the wash-room
AID the chamber, and too often, of the swill-
room and pig sly. Is not that enough for one
woman, without being obliged to take the care
and responsibility, and do most OF the work of
butter factory? Is it so much wonder that
where so much care and attention is required
To rnaIza fact .,f lot Al.
is SO little made in the country, when she on
whom the labor devolyes is already overloaded
with the other cares demanded of farmers
vile? LII L decide to have dairy farm must
contr1ve so that it will not crowd too hard on
the ordinary business of the kitchen. In Or
der to accomplish this, determined to fit nv
self for the business. This work, including
fempcrng the cream, churning washing, salt
ing and working the butter, and preparing If
for market, takes not less than half a day
ofmy time each week, and is much better
arrangement than to hire a girl and board her
principally to do that work Besides, believe
butter making must eventually be done by
men more than at present in all large diaries.
1t is too hard work for women, and ought to
be done by men, and in somekind of whole
sale way, something as cheese making is now
carried on. Then, and not till then, will the
butter OF the country be OF uniformly high
character.
One great source of profit the butter manu-
facturer has, is in the skinned milk NV Gus
tom has been to keep enough swine during
the summer to use UP all the milk, after it has
been thickened by the addition of meal and
mill feed or shorts The result has been that
my pork has been made at a cost of about
one-iialf what it would bling in market, This |
year, owing to the unusual difference between
corn and pork, it will cost less than half.
In the winter, by going to a village about
six miles distant, twice in the week, where
most OF my farm products are sold, am able
to dispose OF my sweet skinned milk at much
more than it is worth for feeding swine.
AS buy all my grain, endeavor to do SO
at such times and in such quantities as will be
most advantageous. believe it is as neces
tary for farmers to make their purchases at
the right time, as for merchants, and to do SO
is legitimate part of their business.
have this year kept about eight cows
They are stabbed every night, and, except in |
the best OF the pasturing season, much Of the |
day. They have full feelings of hay every |
morning and night, also, five or six quarts of
grain each, every morning. In the season of
it, green corn takes the place of hay, in part.
Have this year grown over half an acre of |
heavy corn fodder, planted in drills and work
ed out with Nourse's New Horse Hoe. The |
cows stand on platform four feet and eight |
inches long, and directly behind there is a |
gutter in the floor, twenty inches wide bv six |
deep, into which sandy loan enough is thrown |
every day to absorb all the urine; I have no |
further expense for composing. When the |
loam and droppings are together hauled down |
through the floor into the hog pens, it is in |
excellent condition to be drawn to the potato
held, or to use as top dressing for grass
keep farm journal, by which Ican refer
to the business of any day of the year. A
cash book, in which are entered all the mon
fv,an
Also debt and credit account with each kind
of stock, as cows, horses, swine and fowls. I
find, by cash book, that l sold in one wear
ending Nov. IS, 1865, of butter 1886 lbs. at a
traction over fifty cents per pound, or $647 81:
2OOO quarts of milk, mostly sweet skinned. at
an average of five cents, or $114,2O During
the same time sold about 22O bushels of pota-
toes for 5000
Most of the labor is performed by nv father
and myself Last summer paid about $50
for labor by the day. This year have paid for
(1l0l one hundred and ten days work, about
one hundred and ten dollars, exclusive of
board. L have to take an account of stock on
the first day of April of each year, SO that /
cannot give an exact account of this wears
operations. The books showed an income
last year ending April, 1865, of 1881 80, out
oI Wnicn was to be PAID rent, or interest on
capital, and the labor Of myself and father and
Tor work in the house. l have every reason
to expect this years balance will be more sat
isfactory, as the price of produce is about the
same, while the grain buy is not much more
than half as high. IF it is no better, shall
have to agree with Mr.. Pinkham, of Chelsm-
ford, that farming won't pay labor and inter-
est both. If interest is reckoned, the labor
must be thrown away, and if labor is reck-
oned, the interest on capital invested cannot
be taken into account.
But however small may be the profit of
farming compared with other branches of
trade, believe it will always be in proper
ton to the skill and intelligence brought to
bear, and that the concentrating of manure
and labor on small quantity Of good land
will pay much better than the old system of
skinning and cleaning from many acres of in
terior quality. A. w. CHEEvER.
Wrentbdna, Noo. 20, 1866.