Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-14
Butter. Making on Farms.

/ VNtteINGt nCy1GCW.
Butter.M Making on Farms.
All farmers keep cows. and they fur.
nish milk during a considerable pGr.ion
of the year. Sometimes the milk is dis
posed of at butter and cheese factories
or sent to large towns, where it is sold
at good prices. On some farms very . <
cellent butter is made. When this il
the case it is the result of a favorable
location, careful attention to business,
good facilities for storing milk, and
skill IN manufacturing. II a farmer has
good water on his place, a cool cellar,
{ supply II Ice, and a skillful person to
take charge of all the operations per-
tanning to the dairy, there will be little
trouble in making butter that will bring
a good price in the market. The sour
milk and buttermilk will ordinarily pay
for all the labor required to take care
Of The ccws and the milk they produce.
Generally tho milk produced on farms
is disposed of to i very Roor advantage.
A portion oft is CONSUMED by mem.
bers OF the family, and another large
portion of it is consumed by calves that
are allowed to suckle their dams. A
sufficient amount of butter is made to
supply the wants of the family, and
generally some is manufactured for
sale. The amount of butter made from
the milk of each COW is generally small
and the quality poor. Compared with
that manufactured in wefl-manaped
creameries the amount is very small
and the quality very poor It retails at
a low price, although several make a
profit on it before it reaches the con-
sumner. On many farms COWS are kept
at a loss so far as any money is realized
from the milk they produce. On 9th
ers they only pay for the food they con
sumo by making manure and raising
calves. .
There are many difficulties connected
with making butter on most Western
farms. The water supply is often poor,
n there is no place for storing ice.
Good cellars are not general, and
springs over which houses can be erected
for storing milk are scarce in the prairie
region. It is the custom to have cows
drop their calves in the spring so that
they give the largest amount of milk
during the time when most work is re-
CURED in the fields. While planting.
%cultivating and harvesting operations
are going on the men are too busy to
give suitable care to the mich COWS.
They are likely to be MIXED irregu-
larly, and this tends to diminish The
yield. They are often MIXED at night
by men who are already tired with work
in the fields, and persons in this condi-
ton can scarcely be expected to do the
work well. Female help is likely to be
scarce at this season of the year, or to
be engaged in cooking and doing other
work for the field hands. Scarcity of
help makes it difficult to take proper
care of the milk after it is drawn from
the cows. 1t often remains in the pans
too long before it is skinned. Not un-
frequently the cream becomes tainted
before it is taken from the milk. The
temperature of the cellar or milk-house
10 not constant, and the cream ripens
faster at one time than it does at others.
Churningg is often neglected on account
of the press of household cares. 1t must
generally be done a the middle of
the day, so as not to interfere with the
preparation of meals. It is often neces-
sary to hurry the operations of working,
sailing, and packing the butter. There
being no suitable place for storing it,
the practice is to dispose of it at the
nearest grocery. It is sold in the poor
est market at the season when the prices
are the lowest.
If farmers keeping a number of COWS
can not combine in the establishment of
. butter or cheese factory, or can not
induce others to erect and operate one,
they would do well to consider the pro-
priety of changing the time of having
their COWS drop their calves and Of
making butter. With ordinary care
COWS will give a larger amount Of milk
during the warm than the cold months
of the year, and it will be Of a some
what better quality. With good pro-
lection and careful feeding, however,
they will give nearly as much milk in
winter as in summer. The advantages
of making butter in winter are many.
Tho COWS are not troubled by insects
and are not rendered uncomfortable by
the heat. On these accounts there is
less trouble in milking them. There is
also more time to devote to the drawing
and care of milk, as well as to the
CuuIuluS VI CIcdu duu Uuo working
and packing of butter. In fact, there
is little for men to do, while the de-
mands IN female help are less than
during the summer season. The COWS
can be MIXED with great regularity,
and all the time required can be de-
voted to the care of the milk and to
manufacturing it. Butter will keep
during cold weather without injury in
almost any situation. 1t can be stored
at home till there is enough to send to
a distant market, and a be forwarded
without danger of loss or the expense
Of sending it packed in ice or in a re-
frigerator-car. Butter of the same
quality commands a much higher price
in winter than in ummer. If it is
strictly fresh, and of good flavor and
color, winter butter not unfrequently
sells for twice the price Of summer
butter. By arranging to have COWS in
full milk at the commencement of cold
weather they may be kept in a herd at
distance from the farm during the sum-
lei This is often a great advantage
to farmers who have but a small
amount Of pasturage-Gicago Times.