Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-08-12
AQritultmral.
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.

"A great deal Of good butter il spoiled in
tho Working. There is a vast quantity Of
buttcr to be found in thosmnrkets, Of good
color, properly saltcd, tho buttermilk OK
PEELED, and yet it has a mussy look and
Hardy taste. Consumers arc often ut u loss
to account for it. Tho butter il not rnn-
cid. nor has 1t any disnSrconblo odor but
it is poor nevertheless. Now, this butter
may have been made from the incest cream,
with the utmost attention to cleanli-
ness In every branch Of its manu-
facturo. from tho milking to tho pack
ing In tho firkin. The maker perhaps has
expended all her knowledge and every re-
source within her reach TO get prime mr.
ticle. hoping for name in the market, and
an advanced price for really ''tip-top" nr-
ticle. And when tho ''expert" tells her tho
butter ia inferior AMI must clnss ~ second
or third rate, it ia very aishcartening, and
some give up in despair OF over learning
| nice grade Of goods. They cannot int
agine why butter, upon which so much
care and attention hos been given should
be condemned as having greasy look md
| taste.
II inquiry DO made concerning tho fault
| in the manufacture, the dealer, ii he be an
expert, will be very likely to say, ''Aly
dear sir. or madam, your butter has no
grain;" but, ~ it is somewhat difficult to
define what il meant by the grain Of but
ter, and III the manufacturer does not UNI
derstand where tho trouble lies, no i'm
provement is made.
What Is meant by the term grain, when
applied to butter, is waxy appearance,
ana the more it resembles wax in its con-
sistency, the better the grain. When pro-
perly churned, both rs to timo and temper
aturs, butter becomes irmer with every
working, and is very tenacious. 1t may
then bo easily moulded into any Shape,
and may be drawn out into considerable
length without breaking 1t las a smooth
and unctuous feeling on rubbing little be-
tween the finger aud thumb. When tho
grain is injured, the buttcr spreads like
grease, and the more it resembles grease,
butter, that hos not been injured i'll the
E e. Will not SUCK 10 '"' A'''' ''''' '"''
| Butter that has no grain liz brittle, and
when broken presents u jagged surface, and
will not spread with that smooth, waxy
appearance belonging to good butter. 1t
il only when butter has this waxy consis-
tency that it preserves that rich, nutty
flavor and smell which imparts so high a
degree of pleasure in eating it. So it will
be seen there is very good reason for re-
| jecting buttcr that has been over-worketl
into grease, even though 1t may have all
the essentials of the best quality when it
| is taken from tho churn.
In working butter, the hands should not
come in direct contact with the butter
Gather it together with a wooden butter
latlle in q tray or butter-bowl, and turn off
the butter-milk, and wash with fresh spring
water. Cash it around tho whole circum-
ference. making the channels lowest ut
either end, 80 that the butter-millz can
readily run away. DO not grind it down
against the tiny after the manner Of toni
! pering mortar, for IN this way you will DO
likely to injure the grain.
It is not we'll to attempt to work out all
tho butter-milk at once. But very little
manipulation is required in washing out
the butter-milk; then salt with pure, fine
salt, and set aside in q cool place for about
twelve hours, during which time the action
| of the salt will iberate moro of the butter
| milk Then work q second time. either
with the ladle or butter worker, using pre-
caution not to overwork or grind the butter
by rubbing it down against the tray, and
then the work is finished and the butter
ready for packing. ,
A great many people do not understand
tho importance OF keeping salt III a dry,
pure atmosphere. OF course pure article
Of salt should DO obtained in the first place
then keep it where it will not absorb foul
gases and bad odors. Salt that is allowed
to get damp and is exposed in this condi-
ton to the efauvia of rotten vegetables, the
stinks from carrion, the sink, or cesspools
is not fit to put into butter.
Butter is often spoiled in flavor by mat
tention to the manner in which salt is kept
allowing crumbs and other refuse from
the pantry to fall into the salt dish, taking
out salt with dirty hands, and thus leaving
impurities to be gathered up and added to
the butter.
Nov EARLY AND CURE IN THE COCK.--
Don't dry your hay too much. Hay may
be dried ell il is 90 worthless AZ atrau. As
good cofIee-maker would say, ''don't
burn your coffee, but brown it )" SO We say,
"don't dry your hay, but cure it,. Our
good old mothers, who relied on herb ten
instead of ''potecary medicine" gathered
their herbs while in blossom and cured
them in tho shade. This the philosophy
| of making good hay. Cut in the blossom
and cure in the shade. Tho sugar of the
plant when it is in bloom il in tho stalk,
ready to form the seeds. If the plant is
cut earlier, the sugar is not there; il
later, the sugar has been become con.
verted to woody matter: Hay should be well
Better be o little too green than too dry.
II, on putting it into tho barn, there is dan,
ger of cheating In the NOV" put on some
salt. Cattle will like it none the less. Heat,
light and dry winds, will soon take the
starch and sugar, which constitute the
goodness of hay, out of it; and the add
ton of showers render it almost worthless.
Grass cured with the least exposure to the
driving winds and searching sunshine, il
more nutritious than ii longer exposed
however good the weather may be. fovel
cured, it contains more woody fibre and Less
nutritive matter. The true art Of hay
making, then, consists in cutting the grass
when the sugar and starch are most full!
developed, and before they are converted
into seed and woQay fibre; and curing it t.
the point when twill answer to put it int
the barn without heating, and no more
The whole science Of hay-making consist
in three things: First, cut the gras
when in blossom; second, dry it no
too much: third. let it 60 through q sweat
ing process before it goes into tho barn
On these three three things depend til
quality Of hay. Hay should be grass pre-
served. The nearer to the fresh, tende,
succulent grass, You get it the bette,
Gould we have grass growing in winter
how much better than hay. Well, hay
= an attempt to do this ~ near rs we car
!, We dry apples and berries so that we ma
"a have them in winter. But we can't hav
!. them absolutely fresh; so with grass, "
T. preserve it, and hay is the result. Grass
when in blossom, has its full growth, O,
cepting the seed. It is yet tender in
measure, and has one advantage which n
> other stage of grass possesses = it dovclol
its sugar then. Especially is this the Cas-
y with clover, whose head, when i'm blo
SOM, Ia globe Of sweetness. - IuUt
Farmer.
CApE OF MILK VEssR4s. IN articlo !
the Ohio Farmer, written by cheese fa
=. tory man. we fnd tho following sugge
o. tions on washing cans, which arc equal
s ys applicable to pans and other dishes
" which milk IL kept:
Whom can ia to be washed, do not D,
~ hot water in Mt first, but put in water n
above milk-warm, which will roadily di
-. solve the milk if any is dried on to tho ii
y. and il works off very easily; Willie if Il
water is applied at first, it has tendon,
to cool the milk on the tin, in which co
e. lition water will not very readily dissol
b. i, but warm milk will It is thereto
very important to give strict hoed to Il
matter, and SEQ that tho milk is thoroug
~. ly removed by washing before al
boiling hot water is applied. Caro- mu
be taken to remove every vestige Of Il
lilo milk aho,,t tho sea.na Of tile cans and co
IT, era, as here il where the trouble alwa