The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-09-17
BUTTER MAKING.
A Few Pertinent Remarks on the SaItisag
and Washing Question.

and Washing Question.
twenty-five years ago butter was
much more heavily sailed than is the
practice to-day. Still there is wide
difference even now between the gilt
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS butter
consumed by the city epicure, sailed
at the rate of three ounces to ten
pounds of butter, and the butter prod
duct of the British provinces, or even
of some parts of Maine, with its one to
one and half ounces of salt to the
pound of butter. Fashion extends even
into the realm of taste and appetite.
Thus comparatively fresh butter is
the order of the day among most city
and town consumers. Producers must
accept the fact, and salt their butter
accordingly, if they wish to command
the best prices. The higher the grade
of butter the less the proportion Of salt
required. One-third of an ounce to the
pound is the rule for the best makers
of butter in the Boston market. The
best lots of Vermont lump butter for
immediate use have one-half ounce of
salt to the pound. Western butter
generally carries one ounce of salt to
the pound before washing, some of
which is lost in the washing process.
Some old-fashioned butter-makers in
Maine, and large proportion of those
in the provinces, use from one to one
and one-haf ounces to the pound of
butter. Many dairymen in other sec
tons use too much salt The argu-
ment that the addition of salt increases
the weight of the butter product, and
hence its selling value is fallacious, be-
cause butter over sailed is thereby re-
duced in value and quality. OIeomar-
garine is heavily sailed.
Salt is condiment. A little salt
gives relish to butter. If any butter
should be heavily sailed it is that in
which good salt tastes better than poor
butter. The choicest butter needs but
little salt, because the fine flavor of
the butter is the desired taste and
quality. Choice, aromatic, fresh but
ter has natural, delicious flavor pc
culiar to itself, which is far preferable
to the salty taste impaired by an over
dose of salt. Heavy sailing makes all
buffers taste alike, and DISCUSSES the
natural flavor To the dairyman who
desires to hide his sins in making
poor butter, plenty of salt comes to
the rescue. Buyers are always sus-
picious of butter which carries too
much salt. Bogus butter-makers I'M
stand this when they give oleomarga-
rine heavy dose of salt to disguise the
greasy flavors.
In whatever form salt is used it
should be of the purest and finest quail
ity. Never put layers of salt on top
OF tubs, frkins or crooks of butter. If
used at all in this connection, place
the salt on top the cloth which may
cover the butter. Salt is not needed
to preserve pure fat or pure butter.
1t is a cheap preventive for matters
subject to decay, which latter are too
prevalent in low-grade, inferior but
ter. The gilt-edge butter of the
future will not be washed at all;
the fine aromatic odors, the nutty fla
vor, will be retained and not washed
away in stVeams of water. Water in
contact with butter has deleterious
influence. Ice water kills the quality
in butter and takes out its life. A tub
OF butter exposed for single night to
the dropping of ice water on it's surface
will turn the top white and impart a
strong taste, rapidly fastening rancidi-
ty. A cloth wrung out in ice water, or
even in fresh water, and then spread
over layer of butter will destroy it's
color and take out the good qualities
from the surface layer. Ice water is
more damaging in its effect than fresh
water of natural temperature.
If butter must be washed at all q
pickle Or brine should be used. Never
use either ice-water rfresh water In
making the brine the salt must be al
lowed to dissolve a considerable time
before Esing. in order to secure its full
strength, and to show such impurities
as may be skinlaned off or as may settle
at the bottom Some of the best makes
Of butter sold in Boston are not washed
at all. Great care is used in working
them down hard, fine and waxy with
the wooden butter worker. Never al
low the hands to come in contact with
the butter. The buttermilk is thor
oughly worked out and all moisture on
the butter is sopped up with a sponge
carefully handled and rinsed clean. Do
not use cloths, as they break the grain
in ordinary handling. Butter may be
kept hard in working if no water be
applied and the sponge is used for re-
moving moisture. The application of
salt is always an uncertain quality
where butter is subsequently washed,
since more or less. of the salt is thus
dissolved and washed away. The best
butter in the future will be lightly
salted and without washing. Cu!t5-
UGtof.