Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-02-11
The Lesson of the Butter Show at Green
field,

Over one hundred samples of butter
were placed in competition at Greenfield;
of this less than one-third could be called
good butter, and less than one-fifth deserv-
ed to be called he best butler. Why was
so much labor of COW and farmer and
farmers wife thrown away? Why was
not all of the name 'good?" and why was
not three quarters instead of one-fifth
worthy of being called the best?" Was
it because the farmers of Franklin and the
neighboring counties have not good pas
lures, or good cattle? Certainly not.
Was it because they had not the means to
buy the new systems eff setting, or the pa
tent churn or the improved butter workers
Certainly not again; for if they can afford
10 buy moving machines and sewing
machines, they can surely save up enough
for these modern dairy utensils. Did the
prize takers have any one kind of COW, or
pasture, or stable, or churn or pan which
those who did not take prizes did not have?
and if they did, did their prizes depend
upon the possession of any one of these
particular things?
Let us see; the prize takers COWS
included Jersey, Durham, native, Guern'
sey, and grades of all those. No two
used the same food; one used corn and
cotton seed, another corn and wheat and
cotton seed, another cob corn meal and
roots, and another cob meal only.
Nor do they agree in the length Of
time the milk is set,-for one set twenty
four hours, Il second thirty.six; one used
a Blanchard, two Tyler, one thermom-
eter and fourth an Elmer churn; one
uses the old-fashioned dash and another
the new-iashioned oscllating. Two wash
their butter with brine, two with water,
one with milk and another does not wash
it at all.
Two work with roller, four with a
lever, and two with the hand, and two
give the second working after twenty-four
hours, three after eight hours, and an.
other gives no second working at all
Here we have variety enough; and what
are our conclusions? They are that these
prize takers had no one kind of COW
or feed or dairy implement in com.
mon, relying upon which they carried OF
the premiums
Did they have anything different in kline
or degree from the milk of those who did
not take prizes? In each and every case
these successful butter makers we tind
exercised the greatest care in keeping
their cattle clean, tome bedding with
sawdust and cut corn stalks good chopped
straw, or with sand and straw; they, We
find, make daily use of card and brush
and are particular TO remove the dropping;
of the cows as frequently as possible, even
TO making this the last chore before going
to bed.
Here we have common ground of thcil
success Cleanliness IN the stable. AnC
hand in hand with this goes cleanliness il
the milk room.
1t would seem then that, while improved
systems of setting, and improved churn!
and workers. and SALT may save muct
time and labor and anxiety, and secure
more uniformity, they are not indispensa
BILE, that is
First, good butter can be made withou
the improved machinery, and
Second, coed butter cannot be made
without clean cows, eating clean food ant
breathing clean air, and clean milk, Sc
and handled in clean utensils and in ,
clean atmosphere.
Something Of course depends upon th'
breed of cows, and we think the show a
Greenfield shows that the more Jerseys
we have in our herd the better our butte
will be.
And something depends upon the RICH
amount of feed and regularity in feeding
but when all is said we come back to tht
belief that this cleanliness in the stable
and in the milk room is the beginning
middle and end of all good butter, and thi
is within reach of all.
Many Of lis cannot afford to buy thu
modern improvements in dairy nipple
ments, and many of us who could affor'
cannot decide what to buy; and yet on
COWS are in the barn, they must eat to live
if they eat they will give milk. We hav
the milk on one side and high prices OF
the ether, if we will make good butte
from their milk.
The ways in which the prize buffers a
Greenfield were made tell each one of Il
that it is not in this or that "machine o
this or that system" that the secret @
"gilt edged butter lies, but in intelligence
and carefuDess and cleanliness in tn
field, the stable and the dairy.-Corre
Spondent, IN Massachusetts P,oughnlan