Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-03-18
BUTTER-MAKING.
Prize Essay Read by Miss Nina Holmes
Before the Minnesota Butter, Cheese
and Dairy Stock Association

Prize Essay Read by Miss Nina Holmes
Before the Minnesota Butter, Cheese
and Dairy Stock Association.
In the first place, to make good but
ter you must have the cows in good
condition to make it. Have a good
pasture for them in summer, and plenty
of good hay, good feed and pure water
in winter. Give them straw for BEDDING
and make them as comfortable as pos
sible. Then have the milking done in
a clean manner. Don't let any OF
mixers dip their hands in the milk
pail and wash off the cows bag with
milk, as I have seen some do, but rub il
off with a cloth in dry weather, and
wash it off with water in wet and muddy
weather. The next thing is to take
proper care of the milk. See that the
milking utensils and cans are carefully
washed, scalded and aired before using.
Strain the milk as soon as drawn from
the cow; the less it is agitated the better
it will rise We strain through three
STEAMERS, first the strainer pail, then
the strainer that fits the top of the cans
with double piece of cloth fastened
on the bottom with rim of tin. In
this way every particle of dirt that
you can see is taken from the milk.
Strain into cans and cool down with
water to fifty or fifty-five degrees. The
water in the tank should be changed
once day, and oftener if the mornings
and evenings milk is set in the same
tank. Let it stand twenty-four hours
before Swimming, and if convenient
thirty-six is better. Skim the cream off
instead of draining off the milk at the
bottom of the can; then if there is any
dirt that goes through the skinner it
settles in the bottom of the can, and
does not get into the cream. The cream
should be put into one large can, or if
the dairy is large one, two will be nee
essary. Then the cream should be
divided into the two cans and thorough
ly stirred after each skimming. The
cream should be kept in a room as near
sixty-nine degrees as possible away from
the kitchen, to avoid all orders from
cooking. In summer we have a small
refrigerator in the milk house where
we keep the cream sweet until we want
to churn. Then the night before
churning it is taken into the milk house,
stirred frequently, and by morning it
has soured enough to churn. In winter
II
up to seventy degrees by setting a pail
of cream in warm water and stirring
thoroughly until it is the required heat
Then it will cool down to sixty-two de-
grees by the next morning. Stir the
cream often while cooling and souring
My experience is, it will make the most
and best favored butter when after
warming it, to let it stand until slightly
sour. In summer commence churning
at fifty-two degrees. When your chu"n.
pour the cream into the churn through
a strainer made of perforated tin: then
If there is any sour milk that is not
mixed with the cream it will not be in
Jumps in the churn. Use butter color
to keep the color the same all the year
round. Commence churning slowly at
first, until the air is all expelled, then
churn faster about fifty revolutions a
minute.
When the first signs of granulation
appear, pour into the churn one or two
pailfuls of water, about fiftv-five de-
grees, according to the size of the churn-
ing; then churn it until the butter is
the size of wheat kernels. I find when
the butter is churned about this size it is
firmer than when buttermllk is drawn
off sooner, then it is spongy while work
ing over. Draw off the buttermilk and
pour in water enough to wash it good,
the temperature being fifty-five degrees.
Draw this off and wash it in weak
brine. Let it drain dry; then take the
granulated butter out of the churn,
weigh it and put it on the butter work
er. Do not let the butter stand in the
water or brine any Length of time, as it
makes it salvy to work or salt Weigh
out the salt an ounce to the pound; use
the best English salt and sift on the but
ter a little at a time and stir
with small paddle until thor
ly with the lever; this makes it better to
handle than when so fine. Put it into
tubs and let it stand twenty-four hours,
in summer, and in winter when it is
churned in the morning, work over the
same day, as it will be too hard and
spoil the grain of the butter if left until
morning. Work it as little as possible,
never giving it drawing or rubbing
motion, just enough to work it dry and
free from streaks. But the streaks won
trouble much if the salt is sifted on even
w. Pack in tub little at time, by
beginning i'm the middle with each layer
and pressing toward the sides; then you
will avoid leaving air in the tub. Do not
put more than one churning in a tub.
After the tub is full make it even by
drawing ladle across the top. Never
smooth it off as it gives it a greasy APP
pearance Put on the cloth. Use
a cloth that is starched, as one
that is not is fuzzy after being
wet Cut it around the edge of the
tub with a sharp knife, pour on little
water and sift on some salt; this will
form paste that will help to exclude
the air. Fasten on the cover with strips
of tin; nail the tin on the cover, then
bend the tin over the nail and bring it
down on the side of the tub, and nail
again. If you are not ready to ship the
butter put the tub in a cool place. never
in damp cellar, as it soon spoils the
flavor of the butter. The favoring of
the butter is improved by airing the
cream while souring, also by feed. L
used to think if cow had enough to
eat, no matter if it was wild hay, there
could be no difference in the butter; but
by experimenting. cornstalks and pump
kins make the best favored and finest
butter; next is clover hay. and for feed,
corn-meal. ground oats and bran mixed
ogether.-Hoard's Dairynadn.