Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-03-25
Agricultural.
Dairy Convention a, Greenfield.

A dairy convention and exhibition was held
at Greenfield, Mass, last Saturday, to which
the Franklin Farmers Institute had invited
the neighboring farmers clubs and institutes.
A good degree of interest was shown by the
farmers of the surrounding region, and the
exhibition of products, which included maple
syrup and sugar, was highly creditable The
remarks made by some of the dairymen pres
ent are of general interest,
DIR. L. L. Sturtevant spoke on the butter
question from q scientific point of view. He
designed, he said, to speak only of what he
knew-not to merely express opinions. His
first point was in reference to the influence of
feed upon butter He can raise four tons of
corn stover to an acre, which will replace hay
and increase the flow, and is economical feed.
But good butter cannot be made from corn
stover as feed it is profitable food for max
ing milk. Feeding corn meal does not in
crease the flow of milk any further than its
nutritive value will account for. Give q COW
all the hay she will eat and then add corn
meal and there will be no increase of milk;
but cotton. seed meal will increase the flow.
A milk that has four or five per cent of cream
will make more butter than the milk that
gives 20 per cent of cream. The milk that
is best adapted for making butter is that
which casts up the cream the quickest-that
which has the largest globules of fat. The
milk that is the bluest when skinned yields
the best butter. Food has an influence on the
size of these globules Corn meal has ia
vorable influence and is q good butter feed.
When cotton-seed meal is fed, has found free
oil in the cream, and thinks that the butter
may be oily. In answer to questions, said
the Jersey COW is a butter COW by inheritance
roots should not be fed to excess shorts
make healthy cows, but are not especially
milk producing; Indian meal does not in
crease the quantity of milk, but does improve
it should never feed shorts for butter; feeds
linseed meal to cows before calving; does not
soil his cows; mixing the cream of different
cows may reduce the amount of butter; not
more than two quarts of cotton-seed meal
should be fed day.
Mr. L. F. Bowditch of birmingham was
introduced rs the dairyman who makes the
butter that brings the highest price of any
carried into the Boston market. He said that
one Of the first things for the dairyman to
observe is cleanliness; then he would look out
for feed. Does not believe that turnips can
be fed without injuring the butter too many
beets will give an earthly taste, but carrots
may be fed in any quantity. Good butter can
be made, with proper attention, by any of the
methods of setting; would advise no one to
make radical change in manner, if great ex-
pense is necessary. All foul odors should be
kept away from milk and butter; does not
believe the best butter can be made from
sweet cream the fermentation should take
place before the cream is churned, otherwise
it will occur in the butter. In churning, the
temperature of the cream and of the churn
should be exactly the same; uses the oscillat-
ing churn, but can make as good butter with
others; stop churning when the grains of but
ter are as large as kernels of wheat and wash
in strong iced brine; the salt helps take the
buttermilk from the butter. First-class but
ter cannot be made if human hands touch it,
so it should be handled with wooden paddles;
puts on butter-worker and then works out
the buttermilk; sops up all the buttermilk
with sponges as it is squeezed out upon the
table salts little less than one-half ounce
to the pound handles about ten pounds at a
time ; cannot make as good butter to work it
over the same day that it is churned puts up
into one-half pound Jumps and into tin box
which is set into wooden one some three
inches larger, which leaves room for ice if
needed. Gets now so cents pound for his
butter. Herd consists of Jerseys and Guern-
Iseys, about half and half. Is about two weeks
turning his cows out in the spring feeds
twice day in winter tries to keep his herd
happy, as an unhappy COW is of no use what
ever; keeps the herd clean by giving a little
bedding and scratching the dirt off )" good
butter COW gives too much milk for raising
calves with the best economy.
H. E. Alvord observed that the butter max
ers who get 80 cents per pound do not care
for a change in the system but much sells
for less than 25 cents, and those makers could
get better results by adopting the cooperative
system. 1t has made the poor dairy regions
of the West produce butter that brings the
best price in the market; Western butter now
brings from SO to 81 cents per pound in New
York, and this high price is owing TO the meth
cd of making.
Joseph S. Wells, superintendent of the Hat
neiu creamery, spoke OF tne cooperative meth
cd. He did not believe that cream from diff
ferent cows differs much in butter-producine
quality, though he had made no definite ex
periments. The creamery butter has averag
ed over 80 cents per pound, net. Churns the
cream just as it begins to taste sour gather
cream once day. The patrons are restricted
to one way of setting. The Fairlamb can il
used; if anything is wrong at the barn, tn,
uneleanliness will show in the can. By care
change of food can be detected if extreme
Thinks that by this method farmers realiz
more with less labor than in any other way