The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-12-06
Winter Butter.

1HE New York Times, in an article
on the above subject, says: =
The feed that produces the best but
ter is the early-cut hay. Clover, blue
grass and timothy, cut early and we'll
cured in the cock, with little exposure
to the sun, is certainly the best fodder.
Mixed with this may be given a daily
feed of three or four quarts of meal,
consisting of yellow corn and wheat
bran in equal parts, or wheat bran and
barley. When oats are mixed in the
feed the butter loses color, and some
times the cream is long in churning.
Buckwheat produces white and taste
less butter, and no dairyman except a
milkman should use it for feed. Sugar
beets and carrots are excellent roots for
butter; mangles, turnips and ruta-
bagas are Objectionable on account of
the flavor. We have found steaming
the feed to be an economy where the
requisite help is at hand without extra
cost, and if the feed is given slightly
warm it adds much to the comfort of
the cows aids digestion and increases
the milk product. In our own prac-
ticc we have found that carefully
grown and well-cured fodder is equal
to the best hay. The daily rations for
cows that were giving one pound of
butter daily during the depth of winter
in our dairy were two bushel baskets of
cut corn fodder, with three and one
half quarts of ground feed of corn and
wheat bran in equal parts. Half of
this was given in the morning and half
in the evening. At noon ten pounds
of hay were given in the racks, and Just
before milking in the afternoon each
COW received pailful of cut roots,
sprinkled with corn meal or bran
Each feed, except the hay, was
sprinkled with salt. at the rate
of q handful to each COW. The
butter produced was ola good color, and
a pail which was kept over a year was
as sweet and we'll favored when opened
as when packed. The cut feed was
sometimes moistened with hot water,
and covered to steep until it was nearly
cool, and was sometimes steamed, as
might be convenient at the time. No
difference in results could be noticed,
excepting that when the food was
steamed she cows left some of the hay
and nosed over their roots considerably,
as if either dissatisfied or devoid of
appetite. The dairy accommodations
may now be greatly simplified since the
method of cold setting has come into
practice. This system is copied from
the Swedish dairy, and consists in set
ting the milk in close-covered deep
pans, which are either bodily sub
merged in tank of cold water or are
placed in close ice closet, where they
are, in either case, kept at temperature
but little above freezing. The former
system is the Cooley plan, and the lat
ter the Hardin method, both being
patented, or, at least the necessary
pans, tanks and coolers are covered by
patents. They are, however. SO desir-
able as to their results that one can
well afford to pay the small cost
charged for their use. The churning
and preparing of the butter, however,
are in no way different in winter dairy
from the methods of summer dairy
Of the first class, excepting, perhaps,
in regard to c0loring. This may some
times be needed. When necessary, it |
should be done skillfully and by no |
means overdone. The color used is a
Of annatto, in liquid form,
which is mixed with cream; generally
. teaspoonfll is sufficient for twenty
quarts of cream. This is to be mixed I
thoroughly with bowlful of cream
and the mixture is stirred with the rest I
n the churn until slight golden tint
s observable. This is sufficient. If more
8 given the color is reddish, and the
outter is never naturally red. A clear,