Year: 1860

Mclu0U.


A correspondent Of the American Ag
riculturist gives the following experienc,
in Butter making:


MY experience for many years in ,
large dairy gives rae sdsae practica
knowledge of what constitutes a good ar
tiCle of Butter, and perhaps I cannot bet.
ter explain the principle of making it
than by giving the regular method pur.
sued by my family. In the Spring, wher
our cows are coming in, we keep them
enterely from the horse litter, or stable
which would give the milk an unpleas.
ant flavor, and feed them little yellow
corn, carrots or corn stalks, which I'M
prove the color and quality of the better.
We are very careful to strip the cows as
clean as possible, and strain the milk in
the cellar before it cools, in order thai
the cream may rise undisturbed. We
use twelve quart tin pals, instead Of
pans, finding them more convenient. II
the weather is freezing cold, we add one
teacupful Of buttermilk to each pail,
strain it full, and let it stand until the
cream rises; then take enough for one
churning to an upper room where fire is
kept most of the time, and let it become
loppered, at which time It is ready for
the churn. We put about twenty-four
gallons of milk in a go gallon churn, and
in churning, have the dash rise above
the milk, and descend to the bottom of
the churn, otherwise there is defcien-
cy in churning all the milk effectually.
We use no thermometer, but suppose the
the milk to be about 600 or 65 Q far
enheit. We can tell by the sound if the
milk is tempered right-it will have a
clear ring. We use horse power and
churn from sixty to eighty minutes. When
the churning is nearly done, (Which Is
told by the butter rising In separate
specks upon the dash, we put in about
five gallons of water, continue to. Churn
about five minutes longer, when the but
ter is ready to be taken out. 1t is then
washed in two or three different waters,
salted, and put away to stand about two
hours for the salt 70 dissolve. II is then
FEW 1inles II time, selieral
times d9lfhg fhe hen the fna


eccnes clear Il IS pselSed Il gues bold.
ing about forty pounds, and sent ia the
CITY. This is our method of making but
ter until about the middle of May.


The means used to secure the thicken-
ing Of the milk (loppering) depend on
the weather. Whcnit is mild, we strain
the pals half full in the morning, and
then fill them at night with warm milk.
Again, if the weather is still warmer,
we fill the pals full. If a stove can be
used in the cellar, it is preferable to any
other mode for thickening milk.


About the middle of May, our cows
are generally all in, and we commence
the summer dairy. We have about fifty
cows, and from five to seven persons who
do the milking, and one who attends to
straining the milk as fast as brought to
the milk-bench adjoining the yard. Usu-
ally about nine quarts are strained IN
each pail. If, however, the weather is
cool, more is added, if warm, less Our
cellar is kept quite dark, and free from
any current of air: We think too much
light bleaches the cream, and to much
air dries its surface. When the wealth
er becomes warm, ice is used to cool the
butter fit FOR working, which is quite
necessary, as it is hardly possible TO
work soft butter to any advantage. We
are quite careful when using the ladle
not to draw it over the surface of the
butter, but to extract the buttermilk by
gashing and pressing. We think the
drawing of the lat1e on TIE butter,
drawing of the ladle on the butter Gre
ates an oily surface, and changes its So
lidity, which causes it to become rancid.
Ashton salt is used, about one ounce to
thepound of butter, yet we have discov-
cred a remarkable difference in what is
called Ashton salt, some dissolving east
ly, some Otherwise have sometimes
thought that Ashton sacks were filled
with Saline salt. Our firkins are filled
with water, and soaked about twenty
four hours before packing in them. When
filled within an inch of the top, we spread
a clean cloth on it, and put on half an
inch or more of salt, then make brine
so strong that no more salt will dissolve
in it, and pour the firkin full. We think
brine cannot be made to strong to pre-
vent the top of the butter from changing
its color and becoming rather light upon
the surface, but salt and brine united will
Il IL