St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-08-23
farm, Garden aud kitfheu.
The Famous Orange County Da-
tries.

dairy business in Orange county. The
manner of making butter, does not, we
apprehcnd, correspond altogether with
the mode in vogue with some of our
Vermont dairymen. He says:
"No county iii this state has higher
reputation for its butter, or other pro-
ducts of the dairy, or commands higher
prices, than that of Orange Its milk
trade Is of increasing importance, and
has been reduced to a perfect system.
The dairymen milk their cows morning
and evening, and let the milk stand until
it is cool before sending it to the depot.
Some use cool cellars, others use cool
springs of water, in which the cans are
put. The milk is sold to contractors.
and delivered at the various depots daily.
1t Is generally paid for by the contrac-
tors monthly.
The aggregate amount sold from that
county yearly is over twenty-five millions
OF quarts.
Since the opening Of the New York &
Erie railroad through the county the
business has been divided into milk and
butter diaries. The milk sold in New
York from here is deemed the richest
and best
These milk diaries are very profitable,
yielding from So per COW per annum
upward.
An enthusiastic writer, speaking OF the
excellence of the mode of management
there says: There are many essential
things connected with the diaries of Or
angc county. Farms naturally inclined
to grass, an abundance Of pure cold wa
ter, industry. perseverance, close APP
pllraion TO the business, and experienced
dalry-maldS. These are not found, CEN
orally, out Of the county, and accounts
for the lnterlolity of the product else
where
Among the Orange county dairics all
are found to a>si>t-the men, the women.
the boys, and the girls They all join in
milking and carrying the milk into the
cellars; there the girls strain the milk.
skim the cream. churn and work the but
ter, and pack it into tubs and iirkin>.
The churnlng is generally performed by
do9 or horsepower.
The churns are large, generally barrel
or two-barrcl churnS, worked with a
daSher; none of your new-iangled things.
'ot small capacities and smaller value.
worked sitting down. A chmninc pro
duceS Il large pile Of butter, and the pack
ages are readily filled. We have known
diaries of from 40 to l25 COWS. and their
products RANGED from 50 to go tirkinS
per amum. These diaries. when mark
eted, yield to their proprictors enough
money to purchase farm and no class
OF her citizens are more thriving and in
dependent than the dairymcn of Orange.
They are generally beforehand, and have
money to loan or to invest in real estate
There is method observed in the
manufacture Of Orange county butter.
The cellar where the milk is kept is cool.
we'll ventilated, clean. The milk is
strained INTO pans containing from ten to
twelve quarts each. When the weather
Is warm the pans are set on the cellar
''tlpli. otilti W I>c, vi ShclNc> lie
milk Is left until it becomes 'loppere,!.
then the milk and cream are churned
together Some dairvwomen skim off
the cream and part Of the milk, and
churn that but the best butter is churn-
ed from milk and cream The churn is
filled half or two-thirds full with milk.
and a pail Of cold water added before
starting to churn.
In cold weather warm wateris put in.
The churning is performed with a slow.
regular motion. and proceeds for an hour
10 an hour and half: when the butter
comes. and another pail of water is added.
Tie butter is then taken out and
washed through water in large tray,
and is then salted with about one ounce
OF pure Liverpool (Ashton) salt to each
pound Of butter. The salt is worked
through the butter. 1t is then put in
cool place, and left to stand an hour. 1t
Is then carefully worked over, and set
aside for five or six hours. 1t is worked
again, and set in a cool place until the
next morning, when it Is packed In
working the butter care is taken to work
out all the milk. but not to work it too
much, 50 as to break the grain AMI make
it salvey. If the milk is left in, the but
ter will become rancid. If the grain is
broken in working, it will be greasy or
salsey. Butter worked Just enough will
he solid, sweet, yellow. and the drop of
brine on it will be as clear as crystal.
The butter is packed in white-oak tirk-
ins. the slaves of which arc selected. 50
as not to leak the brine. The firkins
will weigh about eighteen to twenty
pounds empty. They are soaked in cold
water few days before used by being