Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-22

In the search for something worth reprint
ing we frequently look over column after col
umn without finding a single new idea or any
thing either new or old, worth repeating.
Those who read the following article from the
National Live Stock journal, on preserving
butter, vii! at least find some new ideas and
some facts that will be new to most of them
What do We salt butter for? 1--WE salt it to
preserve it, says one. II salt it, says an
other, ito improve its taste" And /, " adds
third, because l have been accustomed to,
and never thought much about why did so.
l only supposed l must or it would 60 wrong
in some way This last reply will answer for
the multitude, and it will answer for much
that is done outside of the avocation of butter
making. If one will stop and ask himself at
every step why he does such thing, he will
be surprised to find himself doing about all he
does from habit or by way of initiating the
habits of Others Man is very properly cred
tied with being a reasoning animal, because
he does sometimes reason ; but he is moved
much more by the force of custom than of
thought, and our action in sailing butter is
only the outgrowth of our most prominent
human characteristic, which is thoughtessly
following in a rut.
If any one has succeeded in preserving but
ter by sailing it, we would be much obliged
if he would send report of his success and
how he obtained it, to this journal for publ
cation. II could not fail to be interesting
news to butter-makers generally, for it is be.
coming serious question whether salt ever
preserves butter, or whether it prolongs or
shortens its lifetime. Salt does not save but
ter, for everybody in this country salts his
butter, and yet it is notorious that il not only
docs not keep, but on the contrary spoils in
great haste There are bOwavpr gpn,. ~
oeptions to this rule. We have seen butter
keep with and without sailing till it was up
wards of three years old
The writer saw and examined carefully
considerable number of packages of butter Ut
the centennial exposition at Philadelphia,
which were from one to moro than three
years old, and which were nearly all well pre-
served without any sailing A half dozen or
80 of these packages were exhibited at the
worlds international exposition held at Wen
ma three years before, and of course they had
acquired some age previous to being shown
there, but they were still sound. He also saw
III central New York package of sailed but
ter which took premium for best butter in
its class at the local agricultural fairs for three
years in succession, and was still sound The
flavor, however, had changed considerably,
having become intense and approximating
the flavor of cheese, but it was not in the
Aohot debtSt iauGll 1ulb DuIlBT, we SHOULD
think from its taste, had been sailed at the
rate of three-fourths of an ounce OF salt 10
the pound, and what was of further interest
III Its history was the fact that it was kept
during the whole of its long life, except when
it WAS on exhibition, in common farmhouse
cellar in half-covered jar, without cloth or
salt or brine to protect it, its surface being all
that time exposed to the cellar air. We have
occasionally come across other samples of
equal age, and have had reports OF others that
We did not see
Such experiences 60 to show that salt Meth
or preserves nor spoils butter, but that its
keeping or not keeping depends on some 9th
er cause or causes, which tho average dairy
man certainly has not yet discovered for
while 1t has been demonstrated that it can be
made to keep either with or without salt, the
bulk of the butter of tho country begins to
fail the very day after it is made, and we have
sometimes suspected it began to fail two or
three days sooner than that
Perhaps if the proverbial dairyman should
venture TO become a little enterprising. and
strive little harder to become worthy of the
appellation of reasoning animal instead of n
creature Of habit, he might Oftoner strike the
causes which preserve or spoil his goods II
would be good idea, anyway, to turn over
new leaf once in while, and not be reading
soiled page always.
Butter will keep" says one, 'if il is ex-
cluded from the air. The corroding influence
Of oxygen decomposes the trace of albuminous
matter which adheres to il, and from this be-
ginning decomposition of the fats follow. "
This is often preached, but, like good deal
of other preaching, it is only theory. The
case in central New York above cited dis
proves it and, besides this, we had bit of
experience in this line at the centennial which
was rather interesting. Some western men,
who thought the air wholly to blame in the
matter of spelling butter, determined to cir
cumVent it and show the assembled world that
the West could do some things as well as 9th
ers. So they put up three packages in pre-
pared tin, and sealed them with solder the
moment they were filed. Thus protected it
was predicted that they would keep, with or
without refrigeration, anywhere. The butter
was made in June aud presented for inspee-
ton in August. Fortunately, your humble
servant WAS selected as the Judge 10 decide on
its merits So We carefully opened them be-
fore crowd OF curious eyes, only TO find ev-
cry package spoiled and the question What
prevents butter keeping is still open for
somebody else to guess
Since salt cannot be relied on for pressrv-
ing butter, the only good purpose left for its
use in butter il for seasoning AZ to its use
for this purpose consumers are not agreed
some want much, others little aud others
still, none
The safest rule to follow in sailing for sea-
soning is the one followed by the horse lock
ey in Harvesting his horses. He said that
when he had an ugly-looking horse no cover
ed him up with all the nice harness he could