North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1870-04-20
The Strippings.

l
What are ''the strpippings ?' Proba-
bly, about one'half of the people in th'
country, and larger share brough
up in cities, if they were to choose mill
as drawn from the COW, would take tha
which is MIXED first. We were looking
over somewhat noted dairy recently
while the hands were milking. In thi:
particular dairy, it is customary to save
the ''strippings' by themselves, keeping
them separate for special purpose
While one Of the mixers was drawing the
stripping, very intelligent gentleman
visiting the house, came out with cur
to get drink of warm milk. Follow
ing the mixer to the dairy where the milk
was to be strained in pans, our visitor was
invited to hold his cup under the strainer
of the ''strippings." No." said he; Il
do not care to take the dregs; want the
best and the richest milk, and will take
that which was drawn first, in the othe,
pail" When the milkmaid told him the
strippings, or last drawn milk, was nearly
all cream, and that it was set apart for
making choice butter, he manifested the
greatest surprise, and said the thing was
entirely new to him. A vast many seo-
pie are no wiser. Now, cream being
lighter than milk, the denser or heavie,
portion OF milk is drawn first from the
udder; while the lighter parts, rich in
butter, remain back, and make up what
is known among the dairymen as ''the
strippings." 1t will be seen, then, how
important it is that the last drop OF milk
in the udder should be drawn while milk
ing and that when particular attention
is not given to this point, the loss is much
more serious than waste of the same
quantity of the first drawn milk for one
is plain cream, while the other is nothing
more than plain milk.
There is another loss Of course, in not
milking clean, as it has tendency to
dry up the cow, or lessen the secretion Of
milk from day to day. 1t is very difficult
to impress mixers with the importance OF
drawing the strippings from the udder
Many mixers are in the habit of finishing
their work just as soon as the free flow
of milk ceases. Such mixers, it is need
less to say, entail a heavy loss on the
dairyman in the course of the year, and
if they milk many cows, they waste more
than their wages. AT this season af the
year particular attention should he given
to the strippings, especially in those COW:
which are net Immediately to be dried off
The strippings make a very nice quality
of butter, and some butter makers thinl
it pays well to keep them seperatc from
the first drawn milk, setting in pans sep
arately for choice butter. 1t is littl,
more trouble to the mixer, perhaps, t.
separate the strippings, as it necessitate
having a stripping pail, but there is n
doubt that it educates mixers to mil
clean, if of no other advantage.
In conclusion, we say, be careful Of tn
strippings; and as the subject seems nat
urally connected with butter>making, per
haps the following method of presersin;
butter, recommended by Mr.. Z. P. Wright
of Green county, N. Y, may be useful t.
butter makers. 1t is as follows;
"Procure good white oak frkins tha
are perfectly brine-tight; take out tn
head, first making small hole. say
quarter of an inch in size; then fill
with cold water let it stand twenty-fou
hours before you are ready to use it; the1
rub, while wet, thoroughly with fine salt
fill your frkin as soon as possible. You
frkin should be Of such size that on
can be filled in week or ten days wit
sweet butter to within half an inch of tn
head then place over ita clean cloth, an
fill the space with coarse salt; put in tn
head then fill with strong brine, prev
ously made of coarse salt, and stop it up.
Mr.. Wright says that butter packed j
this way, and kept in a cool place, will b
as sweet in one year as when first made
Il. A.