Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-03-28
WHOLE NO. 121.


Of salt to each pound Of butter, and the churn
again revolved until the mass is thoroughly
mixed. 1t can thus be quickly accomplish.
ed without exposure to the warm air Of the
room. The amount to be used, however,
should be determined by circumstances. If
designed for the general Market or to be
stored, the amount specified should be used
IF for a special market and for immediate
use the tastes Of the consumers should be
consulted.
Working.
About one-half of a batch. Of the size
above named, is then placed upon the butter.
worker,-the hands should never come in
contact with the butter, and one objection
to the barrel churn is the fact. that owing TO
the necessary smallness of the aperture, the
hands must be used in removing the butter
from it, The butter should not be submit.
ted to grinding process which will injurs
the grain, but be worked uniformly and no
more than is necessary to accomplish the OBJ.
ject sought, which is to thoroughly inoorpo.
rate the salt with the butter and expell the
remaining water. This should be accom-
plished by beginning at one side of the mass
and pressing il into uniform wedge shaped
strips Of an average thickness of about one
and one-half inches and extending across it.
When all has been uniformly pressed in this
manner, the edges are turned with the ladle
into the center, and the operation repeated
until the particles of salt are uniformly diff
fused through the mass and the water entire
ly expelled. The working should be done
Immediately after the salt is added, and be-
fore it is dissolved, otherwise there can be no
certainty with regard to the degree Of salt
ness impaired. After the salt has been thus
thoroughly Incorporated with the mass it
dissolves into pure brine and remains where
it is wanted to perform its office.
The common way of adding a much larger
amount of salt and then allowing it to stand
until dissolved, before the butter is finally
worked and packed is perhaps the better
way where the buttermilk is not removed by
the application Of water, for in this case, the
brine when worked out carries with it some
of the remaining buttermilk, as is proved by
its white aud milky appearance. But by
that practice, while the labor is greatly in-
creased, there can be no degree Of certainty
with regard to the entire removal o: the but
termilk, or of the amount of salt remaining.
The grain OF the butter is also injured. aud
a salvy appearance impaired by the break
ing Of the grain, and reworking it after it has
once hardened.
| will here remark that one very impor.
tant test of the quality Of butter is the
amount and appearance Of the brine which it
contains If clear and strong, and sufficient
in amount, the butter will be sure to possess
good keeping qualities if no brine appeares
when pressed, or If present, it appears white
and milky, it is positive evidence of bad
manufacture, and that it will surely soon be-
come rancid if not disposed of.
Packing.
When working is completed and the but
ter is to bepacked it should be done Immediate
ly by the use of the FOUNDER, in a manner to
thoroughly exclude the air from among it,
and give 1t a solid, compact appearance when
turned from the tub. No tub should be fill
ed with the product of more than one churn-
ing, for however perfect and uniform the
process Of manufacture, slight variation in
appearance may result from other causes, as
change in the feed Of the COWS, etc., and
absolute uniformity both in the taste and ap-
pearance Of the butter should be insisted
upon. When filled, purely white linen or
cotton cloth wet in pure brine, and cut to
the shape Of the tub, but slightly larger,
should be placed over it, and its edges tucked
down IN a neat, workman-like manner, to ex-
clude the air. If the butter is to be sent
Immediately to market, pure salt, well sifted
and OF snowy whiteness should be placed up
on it to the depth OF one-tourth Of an inch OF
more, otherwise there may be woody, un-
pleasant taste impaired to the butter by the
lid. If 10 be stored, the salt should be an
inch or more in depth, and should be thorough
ly moistened and reduced thereby to salvy
state, from which it will soon change to
solid state again, and present crusty ap.
pearance much like that of well frosted cake,
by which the air is almost perfectly excluded.
Before sending to market, or to the butter
cellar, it is well to place it in the refrigera-
tor for twenty-tour hours, or until thorough
ly chilled and hardened.
Comparative Yield.
You will doubtless ask whether as much
butter can be obtained from deep as shallow
setting? l answer emphatically, yes, t0here
the right temperature is maintained. What
ever doubt may arise in the minds of any
upon this subject, with regard to results
when the weather is cool aud most favorable
for the success of shallow setting, there can
be no doubt with regard to this point for the
entire season, and most certainly not during
warm weather.
have experimental upon this subject,
not so much to satisfy the public with regard
to it, as myself, and consequently some of
my experiments have not been conducted
with that nice accuracy of detail, and the
results so carefully recorded, as they would
have been had they been designed for the
public eye.
| will, however, give you the details of one
of those experiments which was the most
carefully conducted, that you may under
stand upon what grounds base my conclu-
sions in this matter and if you discover de-
fects in any of the conditions upon whicn this
experiment was conducted, trust you will
freely point them out.
On the seventeenth day of June, 1871, |
divided the days milk OF my entire dairy,
| then consisting OF twenty COWS, into two
equal parts. The amount divided was 6371
lbs The amount given by each COW was
weighed and accurately divided by weight,
Immediately after being drawn from the COW.
One-half was strained into common pans,
which were filed about two-thlrds full, and
placed upon shelves in the milk-room. The
other half was placed in pals to the depth
OF about eleven and one-hall inches. These
were set in vats Of water in the same room,
and the temperature reduced to So, which
was the same as the air IN the room at that
time. They were allowed to stand until the
milk in each had become thoroughly Topper
ed, aud it was evident that no more cream
would rise The milk in the pans reached
that point, and was SKINNED in forty-eight
hours; that IN the pals stood twelve hours
longer. The range of the Thermometer in