Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-06
THE BUTTER QUESTION.

THE BUTTER QUESTION.
There is no subject upon which legit-
innate producers and the consumer should
be more at oneness than in defending the
dairy interests and securing to family use
pure and wholesome dairy butter. Ger
tainly the dairymen can receive nothing
but injury from the manufacture of spuri-
Gus butter, known as oleomargarine, as it
brings a cheaply-made article into compe-
tition with genuine product. which has
an actual cost much greater. 1t Is self
evident that under such competition where
the first cost of dairy butter is in excess of
figure at which the spurious can be sold
for a highly remunerative profit, ole
margarine could ruin the dairy in
terests and would do so when
ever the supply from increasing factories
for making so-called butter from refuse fat
so far increased the supply as to sharply
lessen the demand. Fortunately the action
of Congress at its last session passed an
Act known as the oleomargarine bill,
which does the works of righteousness "
by requiring all spurious butter to be
plainly labelled, 50 as to show its true
character, and exacting license fee from
manufacturers and vendors. This Act
went into effecton the LIST inst, and it is
hoped will not only be effective in protect
ing the interests and rights of dairymen
and farmers, but also the general public
from being defrauded and imposed upon
by having a disgusting and nauseating
cheat palmed upon them in sort Of high
wayman style.
Now that dairymen are to be protected
and encouraged in producing genuine but
ter, they can with renewed propriety adj
dress themselves to raising the quality of
their unctious productions to the highest
degree of excellence with assurance of the
fact that the improvement in quality will
bring a corresponding increase in demand
and profit. To this end it is in place to re-
mark that the best butter makers in Eng
land, Ireland and Jersey, as we'll as in the
country, are gradually dropping the prac-
tice of seasoning butter with salt, and are
using brine in its place. Those who are
far enough along to appreciate the differ
ence between gathering butter in lump
and handling it in granules are in a posi-
ton to adopt brine seasoning with ease and
q decided benefit. All that is necessary for
such a butter maker to is, when his
butter has come, to wash in the usual way
with water till it will run off clear, and
then immerse the granules of butter in
brine as strong as it can be made and let
the butter lie in it the same length of time
be would have the salt dissolve if he had
used dry salt, and then press the butter
into a solid form, avoiding any friction or
grinding motion while reducing it to a
solid. In this way all working will be
avoided, and the butter left in the best
possible condition for keeping and have an
even color and the highest flavor it is pos
sible for it to have By laying in strong
brine few hours the brine will draw the
water out of the butter the same as dry salt
would.
Brine makes more even distribution of
the saline flavor than dry salt can do, and
it will relieve the butter of any excess of
water it may contain just as readily as salt
in crystals can, and put it in readiness for
packing in as little, if not less, time. 1t is
by some supposed that salt strikes into
butter better if dry salt is worked into it
than it would if covered with brine, but
this is misapprehension of the action of
salt; neither salt nor brine strikes into
butter at all. There is no affinity between
salt and butter or brine and butter. In sea-
soning butter with either, the salt remains
in butter only as foreign body mechan-
icaly mixed. 1t seasons only what it
touches in any case, and brine will touch
more of it than salt can. Ii is not enough
to apply brine or salt and pack the butter
at once, for the reason that newly-churned
butter often but not always) contains more
water in its composition than is desirable
or safe for the welfare of the butter or that
of the consumer.
COMMON HORSE BREEDING.
The more see of this wide world, writes
a horseman who understands his business
the more astonished l am that so many
men are found trying to make little
money by raising colts without any knowl
edge of breeding, without any Familiarity
with the history Of the great families o.
horses, without any knowledge of the per
fOrmances of horses, and without any turf
Journal to give them the information they
require. A man might just as well try tC
be a preacher without Bible. ! some
time ago met q well-tO-do farmer, owner c.
four good-looking mares, who does no
know the breeding of them. He argued
good humoredly, and said he could raist
just as good stock without a pedigree, anc
and it was hard to prove to him that hC
was wrong. He takes considerable credit
upon himself for the shrewdness of hi,
views. He reads no breeding or turf jour
nails He breeds his mares to the loves
stud-fees, and in three years his colts ar
actually not worth raising. Colts of tn
same mares might be valuable if the mare
were sent to q we'll bred stallion, representa-
tive Of the best families. This man has
reputation in his town, and THINKS be is
shrewd breeder, but 10 show that be is no
shrewd in breeding, in year or so he will
see some right-minded breeder sell hi
colts. which have been carefully bred q
yearlings, for $500, while he will not re
ceiye more than $50 or SIS for his wear
lings, the produce of the common an,
cheap horse
SHIPPING FRJIr EAST.
The Press aud Horticultl1iSt, in a recen
article. says: There seems to be consider
able of diversity Of opinion as to tn
feasibility of shipping our summer fruit
East in satisfactory manner, and the oil
cry over production is again raised, q
the report comes over the wires that sey
eral cargoes of our luscious fruits arrive
at the Eastern markets in q very bad cond
ton We think the fears are entirel
groundless, and that if the quantity raise
were hundredfold greater there weul
still be q demand and the fruit would 9
through safe and sound. 1t is peculiarit
of the human mind that when emergencie
arise, way is always found to meet then
The raising of California fruit is yet in il
infancy and is experimental. while th
shipment East is still nearer its babyhoot
and has all been done by guesswork Las
season was the first successful attempt I
shin oranges long distances. There is still
vast amount of knowledge to be gained O
that point and the vast improvements I
be made An orange on the tree will kee
for months, resisting wind and weather
and yet few days travel would destroy il
That has been partially overcome, and tn
time is not far distant when the ingenuit
of man will keep them for year as fires
as when picked, and carry them around tn
world il necessary. So with our more de-
icate summer fruits, there is no reason VIII
they should not be laid down in New Yor
as fresh and sound as when picked in Ca
ifornia. If there is money in it, the ski
OF man can and will find it. and that ther
is money in shipping fruits, the fame
priess realized in New York and Easter
ciiies, when it happens to come through i
good condition, amply testihes. Man
WAYS ana inventions have been tried, a.
WAYS with more or less success, and tn
one most needed, combining the minimum
of cost with the maximum OF keepln
luannes, viii yet be discovered, and I
market viii be opened for every kind o
f4nt that California can raise and IN an.
quantity.
CALIFORNIA WHEAT CROP.
The Oakland Tribune says: The estimat