Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-01-02
For the VERMONT FARMER.
JERSEY BUTTER.

few words on the subject
OF Mr.. Beekman and his assertions that
the Jerseys are unapproachablo as
butter MAKERS" and emphatically the
coming cow" | will say little, as my opinion
Is tolerably well known. will merely say
that in Pomfret our Jersey daires have
given an increase Of from 80 to 100 per
cent. in quantity, and corresponding one in
price, over those of the native herds we had |
previously, which, | believe, were on an aver.
age with those Of the state. What | more
especially desire to do, is to review, briefly,
some of Mr.. Flints premises and conclusions,
aud the first is, that Jersey butter does not
compare with first class Vermont butter,
which assertion is echoed by his large
owner of Jersey stock who sells his butter
for eighty cents and bays Vermont butter
for fifty, which is far better"
These comparisons remind me a little Of
the boy who, with his companions, had gath
cred lot Of pebbles, and when about sorting
them said, +" let's put all the round stones in
one place. and the white ones in another,
and the large ones in another" but they soon
stumbled on difficulties, for there were large
stones which were round and white ones
both large aud round.
Comparisons to possess any value, should
be made with identical or similar conditions,
and no fair minded and intelligent observer
institutes them otherwise The Jersey but
ter Of Vermont aud the Jersey butter of
Mr.. Flint's acquaintance may be very diff.
ferent, as may be also the best Vermont but
ter, aud that Of the large owner Cal
ais tells how the thing was properly done
in Mr.. Kinneys dairy, where the milk of
the Jerseys and the natives, and the Jersey
butter and Vermont butter stood side by
side, produced by the same dairyman, under
identical conditions of feeding, setting, and
churuing, and the Jerseys made more butter
per COW, Of deeper color and 6rmer text
ure Here is an experiment OF some practi-
cal value.
A most important point which Mr.. Flint
seems to ignore, as well as many others, is
the feed of the COW. The fact is, few of us
have sufficiently appreciated this matter of
feeding; nor of what has as marked an cf-
feet on the quality Of the product of the
COW. the water supplied to her ...
In a paper which | had the honor of
reading before the DairymcD's Association
at st. Albans, last winter, | stated it as my
conviction that New England with New
York and Pennsylvania, practically held the
monopoly of making the strictly first class
butter for the whole country. Ga further
observation | am convinced that Of these,
Vermont, with her sunny hillsides of warm
quick land, yielding the richest and sweetest
forage, and with springs or running brooks
Of pure, aceet araier in every pasture,
stands unrivalled and unapproaehablc in nat
ural advantages for making the best butter,
advantages which no breed of COWS can
wholly obscure, and no faults Of making
|
During last fall spent some time in the
West, making two months step in Michi
j., gan, crossing aud recrossing the state in ev.
. cry direction, and did not taste bit of good
. butter while was in the state The land
o is rolling, with a large amount of low
IS swampy land, and while the upands are
IT chiefly devoted to winter wheat, (thcir great
e agricultural interest," the lowlands, as in all
n the other Western States have visited, arr
G devoted to pasturage. While riding by
have seen the cows splashing along, brows.
o ing on the rank coarse growth, or slipping
ID from some stagnant, slimo.covered pool
II The butter so produced, judged by genera
IN standard, is poor, by the Vermont STANDARD
n it is execrable lardy in looks, soft and salvy
D. aud its color and favor might be described
rs as tho traveller described the manners an,
Ie customs Of the Patagonians, manners
If none customs--barbarous. Good buttel
1t under such conditions, from any breed o
/ COWS, is impossible for any length Of time
5, and the same causes. Of poor feed and ba,
o. water in q lesser degree, will give the sam
o results in like degree.
At Mr.. Flint comedies to Jersey butter an ex
ID esptiOnally high, rich color" but assure
10 Us the color is :" not owing to its richness
but to peculiar yellow pigment, which
D. sscreted in the Jersey cows and carried o
is in the milk, yet he also says in his Mile
at Cows and Dairy Farming" page 80, 9Th
~ place of the Jersey COW is rather in privat
ID establishments, where the supply Of erear
s. and butter is a sufficient object or in limitec
ID numbers to add richness to the milk Of larg
at dairies. Even one or tao good Jerseys in
ut herd Of fifteen or ttoenty will make a grea
X difference in the quality of the milk an
ut butter of the whole establishment" Agail
ut page 2l0 " The milk of pure bred Jerse
u, stood at 959; that of an Ayrshire at l0O9
that Of Hereford at 1902; that of De'
al on at llle; while their cream stood at 669
n, and on page o. quotes Haxton as saying
Ve the Jersey COW, that she is " the cheese an
II. butteFmakers friend, when her milk is d
IT. luted with that Of ten or dozen ordinar
o. COWS, and his enemy should he attempt
is make either cheese or butter solely from he
produce, as from the excessive riehnesS
to the milk neither will keep long"
re Mr.. Flint says in the Ne'O E'glan
b. Farmer, From our own observation v
in should say that Jersey butter is not as gOc
Tor as that from common cows" in his Doc