The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-21
AGRICULTURAL.
Wfnter-Timc Butter.


dreds of pounds did pass from our hands
to those of the many consumers.
OF disadvantages to contend with, none
had ever more than ourselves, L am sure
for many of the hardships of early nome
stealing days we had to meet and over
come as best we could. There was not a
model dairy room and modern helps to ana
us, nor the dollars with which te buy them'
and yet there was genuine pleasure IN tne
dairy work of that small farm home, Tor
there was always a demand for every sur
plus pound of butter, writes Nellie Hawkes.
in the Eptomist. But we shared the labor
and the profit, and those days OF SOD mouse
life were far from being unhappy ones IN
the villages about us, there were more ana
more with every passing year that were
asking and demanding the butter products
of the farm and such demands were just
opportunity, and the making OIL d
quality of butter that would bring the hlsh-
est price one of the pleasantest ana most
remunerative of vocations and it was one
of the stepping stones from Indebtedness
and into prettier, cosier home.
In summer we attempted but little OF
butter work after coming to the prairie
home, where all manner of rude makeshlfts
and disadvantages predominated at hrst
The cows that We must keep at home were
of necessity kept all day long "staked out
upon the prairies by long lariat ropes ana
made much work for the busy farmer, Tor
three times a day they must be brought
home TO be watered SO, naturally, no
more of them We're kept at home than were
needed for the family supply of milk ana
butter as. a general thing, while the oiherS
were sent from home for the summer
months to join the great herds of cattle III
the canyons and upon the broad. unproKen
praires, where they were herded through
out the day and corraled at night by the
owners Of those vast prairie acres. But
when fall days came, those bossies all came
home most of them with sleek coated, fat
baby calves at their sides, and then all
was in readiness to again commence the
making of fall and winter butter, at good,
profitable prices.
There was more time then to attend 20
the milking and the care of cows, and for
the men folks to attend to the cnurning.
For with the care of the milk. cream ana
butter, the skimming of cream and care
of all milk and butter utensils, the working
and stamping of butter, and preparing 1t
in attractive shape for customers over
town, l had all and more than l could DO,
taken in connection with the other mousse
hold duties. But ours was a partnership
firm; each helped the other; the purse,
common household partnership property; the
aim and ambition of each heart the same,
and there was, consequently, pleasure in
all the work of the day. And to me there
Is no more fascinating work than the max
ing of butter so sweet, so good and so
dainty appearing that we never can make
one-half enough of it.
To make all this winter butter of ours,
and to have it just what we would nave
1t to be, was oftentimes no trifling mat
ter, for there We're many things to guard
against, and the greatest of care must
be taken to keep the milk and cream I'M
tainted. The churning must be often
done, the butter must be thoroughly
washed, the salt must be the best OF
dairy salt obtainable. The atmosphere,
where all these things Were kept, must
be sweet, wholesome and pure; the but
ter must be stamped nodded in pretty,
attractive molds, and they must be pre-
scented to customers in most dainty
shape, for looks" does tell to very
marked degree Butter may be just the
sweetest and finest of flavor, but present
it in a mussy looking roll, or in unat-
tractive wrapper, and never will it find
ready sale either at the customers door
or in the market place.
Summer butter is to the average farm
er very unprofitable and in this day of
land full of creameries it pays best to
sell the milk. But even in winter the
amount of poor butter put upon the mar
ket is indeed surprising. For the good
article there is ever demand, but the
rest of the butter goes begging.
Even unto this day finds an occa-
sionaI farm wife who clings to the old
fashioned way of working the butter
milk out" not allowing a drop of water
near the butter. She is invariably, too,
wondering why her butter does not bring
her the price that some of the ncighbors
get. But if one things to reason this Wo-
man out Of her firmly grounded ideas,
they have reekoned beyond hope, for she
is invariably ''sot'' in her ways, and
you might we'll say to Nebraska
breezes "be STILL" as to say to her pro
gresson.''
Yes, we are making winter butter, this
winter, ourselves; only few extra
pounds week, though, for it takes time
to bring about the necessary "everythinS
to do with the stables and cows and
everything one wishes, when they have
taken a run down place in hand to make
of it a home just to their liking. But I'm
planning for the coming happy day when
we shall have of fawn like Jersies all We
care for, and pounds upon pounds of
sweet golden rolls of butter that shall
bring gold and the Injuries of life in
exchange.
Mistress of a bit of a dairy world, in
just one corner of little farm home!
Who, for just that joy alone, would not
be farmers wife? Who, for the pleas
of village housewifery, would eX-
change the independence of their rural
life with it's many joys and advantages ?
Surely it is not /, and 1 trust not you.
Try Jersey COWS and winter butter max
ing, thoroughbred biddies and poultry
yard work, my sister farm wives-those
who have not done so already-and never
more will village life possess charm for
you, at least it does not for me.
Creamery BUtter Made the Farm.
Doubtless hundreds of readers wonder
why creamery butter sells for several
cents pound more than dairy butter. Sep
TENDER shows the Chicago market, and 9th
err cities are very much the same: Extra
creamery, 2ll2M 25c: firsts, 22M2312c; seconds
1SG21c: thirds, 140171ac; extra dairy Cool
eys>, Pic; frsts, 11G19c; seconds, 1401sc
thirds, 13c.
Here we find dairy butter Disseminated
against about 10 cents n pound on the av-
erage. The "CooeyS'' are quoted at PIC
or equivalent to the b,st price of creamery
seconds"
Now these ''Cooleys' are dairy butter I;
is made on the farm. 1t is made with less
work than ordinary dairy butter and made
in less time. 1t is not bstter butter than
some of the old fashioned dairy butter
but it is vastly better than the average
dairy butter, and it brings a better price
partly because it is better and partly be
cause it is uniform. Uniformity is a factor
in getting a good price. There are differ
ences in tastes as we'll as differences il
butter, and buyers will pay extra for some
thing that suits their own taste. Having
once found Il package of butter that suit!
they inquire next time fer more just Xix,
the last If the second package is like thC
first, a regular demand follows; but if it il
different, every member Of the family io;n!
the smelling committee and the ollalit,
is subjected to fresh criticism every tina
butter is bought anew.
Faith has commercial value. Once es
tablish a reputation for any product ant
that reputation influences the price II
establish 4 reputation the quality must b,
Uniform. To he uniform the method IF ma