The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-09-06
HINTS ON BUTTER MAKING.
linking and Separating Cream from Milk.
Progressive Farmer

Editors Progressive Farmer:
A discussion of the manufacture of butter
properly begins with it's source-the cow. Good
butter can only be obtained from COWS that are
healthy and well cared for.
FIRST, THE COW.
To the COW and her surroundings therefore we
must turn our attention. Other than a healthy
animal should not be permitted on the premises.
In selecting cows preference should be given
those animals that conform closest to the dairy
type, but they should be put to a further and
more satisfactory trial at the pail and the Bah
cock test. Weigh all the milk from each animal
and test it every month for fat content. We
should also know how much food each animal
consumes, and just how much she gives in return
for the food consumed. both as milk and butter.
In this way we can act intelligently, selecting
our profitable animals, and cutting out those
profit parasites, the SCRUB" When crows pull
up our corn, and woodchucks get in our clover,
we feel justified in shooting them. Why should
we discriminate-in case of the COW, and continue
to board her year after year, when the loss is
generally many times greater?
A sufficient number of COWS should be kept so
that it will pay to devote Some time and atten-
ton to the business. Also to warrant the pur-
chase of the most annroved utensils for the
work. For good tools like good labor may como
a little higher at first; but in the end they are
the cheapest and best.
After we have selected a herd of healthy ami
mails, it is essential, if we would keep them in
good health, that the stables be so constructed as
to supply good ventilation and an abundance of
light.
Cleanliness is the foundation of the dairv bust
ness. Since from IS to 80 per cent of the filth
found in the milk comes from the animal during
milking, this portion of the work should receive
special attention. The animal should be groomed
regularly and kept in a clean condition. Why
should we pay so much attention to our driving
animals, and so little attention to the COWS that
furnish food for our table?
just before milking, the udder and adjacent
parts should be moistened with a damp cloth.
This has been found to be very effective In reduc-
ing the contamination of milk. The milking
should be done with dry clean hands. The clothes
of the mixer should also be clean, although that
is not generally the practice. As soon as MIXED
the straining should take place. Four thicknesses
of cheese cloth make a very good strainer. The
milk is then ready for separating.
At the present time there are three methods,
with slight modification, for separating cream
from milk: the shallow pan system, the deep
setting system, and the centrifugal or separator
system. Churning whole milk is still p~racticed
bv some people, who have only a few COWS. This
is very wasteful of both time and fat, and nearly
ALWAYS results in an inferior quality of butter.
SEPARATING THE CREAM FROM THE MILK.
The shallow pan system is. the Oldest method of
raising cream, but is still used quite extensively.
The milk is strained into shallow pans about