Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-01-14

George, and the discussion which followed /
(both Of which we shall give next week. /
the attention Of the meeting was turned TO
the absorbing topic Of
BUTTER MAKING.
f. D. Douglass, ESD, Of Whiting, MEM
Der Of the Board, was called out to detail
his method, which is now attracting SO much
attention among our farmers. lie spoke
substantially as follows;
In the first place wish to impress the
importance Of mental power and educated
skill in the business Of dairyiug Now if
we look abroad we see that many diaries do
not yield more than one hundred and TWEEN
ty-6ye pounds to a COW, and the product is
sold on an average Of twenty-five cents a
pound-giying an income Of only $3.50
per COW. Yet they work hard, and rise
early, ard complain of hard times. Now
on the other hand there are dairymen in the
State that have put brain-work into dairy
ing, and get a product of three hundred
pounds to each COW, and the quality in
creased so much that sixty cents per pound
is received, making an income per COW Of
$50 and with even this yield, perfection
has not perhaps been reached
Now let us suppose that the darymen Of
Vermont so manage as to increase the aver
age product to two hundred pounds per
cow-and this is one hundred pounds less
than some obtain already --and we sell the
product for twcnty-oght cents per. pound,
which | suppose is above the average price
now received, the increase to the dairymen
of the State will be s2,522,000. If we
can raise the product to two hundred and
fifty pounds per COW, the gain will be
S5,04G000 So far | have only spoken of
increase Of quantity. Now if we add, by
improved quality, to this sum ten cents per
pound in price to the entire product then
our gain will be ss,G35 300 But if you
say this is too high and cannot be attained,
then discount fifty per cent, and we have
still over 81 1900, 000-a sum 50 vast as to
revolutionize our financial affairs, and bring
prosperity to our State, and affect every
citizen.
Now to increase the product, what shall
we do ? First-Test the individual cows
of your dairy. If you wish to make but
ter, you want cows that give milk rich in
cream. Some cows are better for cheese
than butter--some are poor in every respect
and you may be keeping cows that do
not pay their keeping, You can tell by
testing Second-After testing your cows,
and selecting the good ones, give them
enough to eat, and of food best calculated
to stimulate a large and healthy flow of
milk. | do not advise spending the income
of the farm lavishly for western grain, but
p it is far more important TO take especial
pains to cut and cure the grass--the pro-
duet Of Vermont farms. Late cut grass is
very much inferior to carly cut. The grass
of the pasture should be abundant and
water pure 1t is best to have some croI
\ to furnish additional food in case Of drouth
We now come to the care Of the milk
You believe your mother made good butter
with milk set upon shelves, and therefore
# it must be good way, Very true i
you depend upon the air to temper the
. milk, it must be set in small quantities, aud
!, with large surface exposed to the air. But
% it is folly to depend upon the air that varies
,s from thrty-two degrees below zero, up tc
n one hundred degrees above when we wan
the milk kept at sixty-two degrees,
# BY my method-which is not patented
. | gain an even temperature, and | will try
and make it plain to you. have watts il
s my milk.room, each of which holds two
+. rows of pals. My pals are thirteen inchei
4 deep, and thirteen inches across the top
The watts are filled with water running
g water is the best, but use well water anc
ico Now cleanliness is very essential il
every step Of the process. When 60 t.
d milking, ! set row of my pals on shell
II outside the dairy-room, and have boarC
lid that shuts over them. | milk clearly
r aud strain Immediately into the pals
When milking is done, these are placed il
D. the watts Of water, carefully avoiding slop
D, ping and the tracking of dirt into the room
8 Now have found that when the air i
eighty degrees in the room, and the wate
sixty degrees that so much warm mill
d raises the temperature Of the water, and i
If is often twenty-three degrees higher on tol
than it is at tho bottom. Ice is place,
d upon the surface to reduce this to the re
d quired point, which | think is about sixty
4 two degrees. The cream is skinned iron
the pals where they set, into dish, AM
"a the ladies do not lift the pals at all-bu
% q they skim when they please, aud the mel
% empty the milk when they please. de
q sign to make the pals so large that womei
% will not attempt to lift them if they did
Do | would make them larger still. The pail
% are carried out and emptied. | do no
d have any swill barrel near the mlk-room
x Have pure air and good ventilation in th
milk-room, aud even temperature for tn
n milk. The women wash the pals, an,
Q. butter-making is to them easy work
st My churu is the revolving barrel churu
II Before dairying was my speciality, | used
k thermometer churn, and drove away at
a. with the cream sticking to the cover an
IS sides and just before the butter gathere
lie scraped the cream, and soon the butter wa
brought but am sure there was grea
r, waste. Some cream went away with III
r butter-milk, and some was mixed with tn
l. butter, to its damage. We want uniform
y agitation, and by using the revolving barre
S. churn all the cream is acted upon equally
Is When the butter has come and is in lump
5. as big as q walnut, | stop churning an,