The Portland daily press., 1892-01-27
DAIRY WISDOM FROM MAINE.
Definition of Perfect Butter and Hints
About Improving Dairy Cows.

Definition of Perfect Butter and Hints
About Improving Dairy Cows.
An interesting meeting was planned
by Secretary Gilbert recently, at the
Maine state college, Orono. The meet
ing was held in the new dairy building
and combined practical instruction as
well as theoretical. Professor Chees
man, of Massachusetts, has charge of
the new dairy school.
The first speaker was the college farm
superintendent, Mr.. G. M, Goveil, who
gave lecture on Good Butter" His
remarks were mainly confined to quality
in butter, without reference to cows
food or grade of milk Only in the pro-
duction of a better article Of butter than
last year is the dairyman sure of hold
ing his market. One of the important
factors in good butter is flavor; next
frmness; it must never be oily or salvy.
Too much working spoils butter by
breaking down the grain. Butter In
right condition when broken apart
should break with distinct fracture,
like cast iron. This sort of fracture
does not show in lard or tallow, nor in
overworked butter. There is too much
water sold in butter. Ten per cent. OF
water is the lowest practicable amount,
while l5 per cent. is not excessive. Much
butter put upon the market contains 25
to 30 per cent. of water.
Mr.. Govell gave the following scale
of Judgment for perfect butter: Flavor
marked, nutty. sweet and pure, 49,
make, working. printing and packing,
30; solidity-frmness, not readily soft
ening, 12; texture-compact, closeness of
grain, breaking with a distinct fracture,
12; color-such as the market calls for,
s; neutrality-suspicious. not over 10 per
cent, s; salt-variation not defect
unless quantity used is excessive; mark
of perfection, 100.
Professor |. P. Roberts, of Cornell uni
versity, New York, spoke on "Milll Pro-
duction." Professor Roberts thought
the cows we now have about the right
size. In certain lines in dairying great
advance has been made, but in others
but little was manifest. 1t is not likely
that new foods for cattle which will be
superior to those now in use will be found,
as almost everything has been tried and
there have been almost innumerable
methods tried for feeding. Asa general
statement, few cows produce over 5000
pounds of milk per year, or even $50
pounds of solids There are cows which
will produce more than four times this
amount, but they are the better stock Of
the coming standards to which all must
aim. The middle ground is the safest.
Profits lie in diminished cost and in
creased production.
Improvements should, first of all, be-
gin with the COW. The first and great
factor is better food and more of it;
second, envirenment-eve in her
surroundings, stable, air, light. litter;
third, selection; fourth, inbreeding.
Select the best COWS in the herd-those
which come nearest to the ideal of the
owner to breed.
The yearly record of the COW should
be kept accurately. The quality of the
milk should be tested. With the tester
ayd the scales, farmer makes a big mis-
take who keeps COW over three years
that brings in balance on the wrong
side. Scales and the tester are going to
weed out the pedigrees. Pedigree is
good, but performance is better
The perfect COW will be the animal
that. having a pedigree, can show better
record than her dam, as she in turn shows
better record than her grandam. The
object is to obtain the greatest amount
of energy in milk production. Comfort
and food are more than pedigree. The
true pedigree should be the recorded
improvements made through several
generations. The failure to make dairy
ing very profitable is due to the failure
of the dairyman to bring all the factors
together.-Cor. American Cultivator.