The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-10-05
A. NJ. & E. B. Higley

Buy Butter according to quality, and earnestly
ask butter-makers to READ, UNDERSTAND AND
PUT IN PRACTICE rules laid down in the follow
ing Extract from the Report of the Commission
of a gricultuTe.
''Ihere is not within the whole range of agri-
culture SO large product liable to SO large
per cent. ofdepreciation as Butter. The amount
mated at $65 900, ,dOO OF this it may be said one
half might be sold for five cents more per 1b.-
At the present time searGeiy one nrhin IN ionr
es not from any real chemical or practical Diff
Guilty, but from WANT OF KNOWLEDGE or WANT
OF CARE in its manufacture.
Butter is mostly an oil so well fixed that it is
quite unsusceptible of chemical change. Cream
is a peculiar mixture of this oil and certain
terry fluids found in the milk. Churning con-
sists in so agitating the cream as to cause the
butter globules to adhere to each uther. Now.
as the principal part of the butter is not expos
ed to decay, it becomes a fair subject of enqui-
ry, what is the cause of SO large Il per cent. OF
butter loosing its sweetness SO soonp
I. Milk being of itself one of the most per
may have gone SO far before the removal of the
cream as to contaminatc the fluids of the cream; /;
and If so then the butter, when first made, has
already within it putrescent material which
will very soon infect the whole.
2. Even if the cream were entirely sweet the
milk remaining in the butter Will soon decay,
and if not removed Will, of course, deteriorate
the butter. The practical questions, then. are,
THE BUTTER FROM THE BUTTER. MILK.
AS to the first it is desirable to allow the milk
ali the ream Int In doing this there Is risk of
spelling the whole The real decay of the milk
but by the Watery efrusson following the thick
ening. The cream may remain till this thick
ening process is complete without exposure to
the butter BUT NOT LONGER. The cream should
not for the same reason, be kept too long after
being removed from the milk before churning.
The process of churning and dressing or
working the butter are as various and valuable
as there are intelligent and careful housewives; ;
but in every successful method there must be
essential-THE THOROUGH REMOVAL OF THE BUT
TER-MILK To accomplish this, some recon-
mend two or three Washings of the butter in
till the water hrinTS Dntfpr-
milk, whilst others rely upon thorough work
ings. But whatever method is used, the remoy-
al of the butter-milk is INDISPENSABLE.
AS the milk is warm in the process of churn-
ing the first requisite of the butter on being re-
ALT may be worked in wit as little stirring
possible, and then it should be placed where it
worked, adding As MUCH SALT AS MAY BE NEED-
ED to prepare it for market CARE SHOULD BE
A LITTLE MORE THAN AN OUNCE PER POUND is
SUFFICIENT. Five or six hours after the butter
is to be worked again; THE MANNER OF WORK
ING BEING TO PRESS WITH LADLE OR BUTTER
SCOOP, not cut it through nor spat it, the most
common method and the poorest of all.
questionably the best For packing for market,
a new tub NEVER SHOULD BE USED UNTIL 1T HAS
BEEN THOROUGHLY SATURATED WITH A STRONG
BRINE. Cover the bottom of the tub with thin
sprinkling of salt, and pack solid; and placing
of salt, pouring on a gill of water to form an
air-tight covering of brine. When it is to be
sent 10 market. the brine should be poured off
Butter is luxury only when it it is fine, and
will then command the highest price. In its
perfect condition it must be a fine golden yell
low, not white, streaked or marbled; the grain
should be firm, otspongy, "soapy,'' or "salvy:"
have butter of this description, the cows must
run in sweet feed, the milk vessels be perfectly
clean. aud the milk and cream kept in a cool,
dry cellar The butter should be entirely free
from butter-milk, but not worked so much as to
jnjure the grain Above all. the right kind of
salt must be used Most of the salt contains
lime which being alikalI, unites with the
butter forming a soapy substance. The Ashton
Salt can always be relied upon, as it is entirely
free from lime. and of the finest flavor.