The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1874-04-16
Butter Making.

In the Massachusetts agricultural report for
1872 is the statement Of A. w. Cheever, rela-
ting to the making Of butter with his manner
OF sailing, working, &C., as follows:
''The package of butter herewith presented
is sample Of 697 pounds sold during the past
four months, from an average Of eight cows
The largest number MIXED during the time of
trial was ten. Two have been sold for beef
-Four calved since the commencement Of the
trial, and two of these calves were fattened and
three others have been raised on new milk for
about two weeks, and then fed with milk -
hours old for some three weeks longer. One
| of these was dropped just before the commence
ment Of the trial.
The two cows sold were twelve years Old
All the others were less than five at the com
mencement Of the trial. One is now five wears
old; two are four years; two are three years,
and the other twenty-one months at the time Of
calving, which was July 18th. The two three
year olds calved last year, and will come in a.
gain next winter.
The average yield per week has been about
four or five pounds per cow, which would be a
small quantity if the animals had been of full
age and were in full flow. My average for the
past two years has been over two hundred
pounds per COW, Of butter sold, besides selling
nearly one days milk per week, one half Of
which stood twelve hours before sl1imming, the
other half sold new; and besides what milk,
butter and cream have been used in my family,
one quart Of new milk has been sold every morn
ing.
The feed has been good pasture about four
weeks, green rye, green corn stalks, and the
best Of hay feed in the stalls the remainder Of
the time. Some grain is fed every day-to beef
COWS all they will eat, and to others enough
to keep them in good working condition. The
grain has been about equal quantities of corn
meal, cotton seed meal and wheat bran, vary
ing from four to eight quarts, according to the
age and condition Of the different animals.
My milk is kept above ground in tin pans,
set on racks; my room is well protected from
the sun on the south by a covered and blinded
walk, and by trees and blinds, the sash being
entirely removed the most of the time. give
my room a very thorough airing in the night,
but keep it pretty close during the day. In
that way keep my weekly supply of butter
very even one week only, and that in August,
did it fall off very perceptibly. Have churned
twice week most Of the time. Always wash
butter in cold water, as soon and as clean as
possible after churning, to remove all the milk.
While washing, work it dry, then salt with less
than half an ounce of salt per pound. Let it
stand or rather hang in cool well few honrs,
then work over and put up for market in pound
Jumps, or one-quarter pound cakes. The price
obtained is fifty cents by the year, and during
the summer forty pounds per week are enggagg-
ed, and thirty pounds per week during the win
ter.
The butter is never touched with the hands,
it is sometimes sailed in the churn, but always
worked under lever on a hard wood table set
so inclined as to allow the. milk and brine to
run off freely. Temperature at chqrniing from
to GA degrees.