The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-07-10
HOUSEHOLD AND FARM.
HeepIng Butter in summer.


frlgerators of the town and city, but the con
venlenCes of the country, and give our obser-
vations on the causes Of poor butter, so TAR rs
produced by storage,
A majority of summer butter is poor because
every condition OF poor buttermaklng Is vio-
lated frem the time the prospective COW Is
dropped TIL the last act of packing and storing
the butter. And such butter, with the best
storing in the world, would be inferior. But,
assuming that the butter is good, the question
Of summer storage upon our prairles is the
one before us
The last meeting of the Illinois State Dairy.
mems Association discussed the question:
Can summer butter he so handled and
packed that 1t will retain its freshness and
sweetness for winter use:"
Whether butter can be thus preserved SO as
to be good, sweet old butter, without rancidity
or bad flavor, is a question which we bel ieve
can be answered III the affirmative, and we
propose to discuss it under these heads, VIZ,
as to the place of storage, the package, and the
contents
l. As to the place of storage.
The first requirement is that IT must be
cool place 4 cellar or other apartment the
temperature of which rises above sixty degrees
Fahrenheit we do not believe Will keep but
ter we'll under any conditions. Most cellars
show temperature Of siXty-tivc to seventy de-
grees deep cellar, protected from the not
rays of the sun and remaining uniformly be
low the temperature of SIXTY degrees, sweet
and properly ventilated, is, without doubt
one of the very best places OF storage Tor but.
ter.
.. The package.
Butter to remain sweet, no matter what thc
temperature, must be preserved from contact
with air In mid. winter even butter exposed
to the air will become bad. In summer this
will occur in much less time The perfect but
ter therefore, will be air and water tight lhe
butter must be immersed (surroundcd) by very
strong, pure brine; or possibly, rs some re-
commend, by strong brine with little salt
peter and refined sugar added III matters III
tie what the shape, SIZE or material the pack
age is, provided this object is attained. As 1t
was intmated at the beginning OF this paper,
butter can only remain sweet, and must be cX-
nected 20 lose certain aroma and freshness OF
new butter No longkept butter can be cX-
pected to remain IN the class OF fancy butter.
A fancy for expensive package, therefore, IS
hardly IN place in handling butter OF this
grade, unless it is really better than cheaper
one and is so accepted by the trade. Now we
know of no style of package more acceptable
to the trade in butter all things considered,
for accomplishing the end desired, than the
old-style oak firkin. Properly prepared by
soaking in hot brine, afterward In cold, and
handled in the approved methods we consider
it quite as reliable as any other, and decidedly
cheaper than any other we know Of We cX-
press this opinion with our present knowledge
of the trials made in this direction.
3 AS to the contents
The first thing to be said under this head is
that butter to keep must be good butter-but-
ter well handled from the milking to the pack
ing and nothing but butter 1t is well under
stood that rancldlty comes from that IN the
butter which is not butter from the butyric
acid which develops chemically and the de-
velopment of which IS greatly fastened by bad
handling; by the presence Of Cascin, buttermllk,
water or other foreign substance, not butter.
The shallow, poorly-draned and ventilated
cellar is the coNmon place of storage on the
PRAIRIE and, If this certainly is not enough,
there is added a faint of cabbage and onions.
Driven to desperation, some resort to hanging
the butter in well. (Afcw have good springsD
The important item to the farmer for butter
purposes in deep cellar, not less than twelve
feet, sides of stone and bottom well concreted.
Windows should be arranged to give good
ventilation open at night and closed during
the day Such a cellar will vary but little in
temperature. Next to the cool dry cellaris n
sprn r.house; and some prefer this to the
cellar. A spring-house can be cheapy con
structed near the well, and with wlnd-pump
would be easily operated. Where there is con-
siderable fall from the well, the spring house
may be walled with stone and covered with dirt,
making it bank-house, with tile pipes for
ventilation. All things considered the deep,
dry cellar, we'll ventilated, is the best for but.
ter
Albert Dunlap takes up this subject, and
treats it as follows:
Butter Is one of the most difficult articles of
food to keep sweet and in eatable condition
If we are to judge from the quantity Of poor
butter annually eaten, there are but few per
sons who understand how to make good ar
tce, or, knowing how, do not possess the re-
qusle means necessary to produce 1t.
The secret of keeping butter sweet for II con
siderable time Is to make tirstrate article,
and then to keep it from absorbing odors
from surrounding objects. 1t Is strong aD
sorbent and its Sense Of smCll' is very acute
In summer good pastures should be provided
with rich and succulent grasses and plenty OF
pure water If the pasture is scant and
grown up with weeds, the butter will often
have bitter taste, caused by the cows feeding
or weeds. Impure water VIII also affect the
quality. While the Ill effects may not be per
Ceptible IN freshly made butter, II is sure tC
show itself after the butter has attained age
The utensils used IN the dairy must be Scrtt
pulouSiy clean and the atmosphere of the milk
room free from impurities. Having satisfied
yourself that you have got good artle OF but
ter, procure a Jar of suitable size and put IN g
churning of butter, on the bottom OF which
put damp cloth and cover with an inch Of
salt. When you have another churning ready
remove the cloth, put in your butter, and re
place the cloth and salt. The butter should
be packed solid, as the air is much easier eX
cluded than when in rolls. Continue the above
process until the jar is filled within an inch
or two of the top; put on the cloth and fill in
with salt. Take a box larger and four inches
deeper than the jar, in the bottom of which
place two inches of salt, put in the jar, and fill
up all around the sides and over the top of the
jar with salt, and set the whole in a cool place
until wanted