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MAKING AND PRESERVING BUTTER.

experiments that potatoes will not support a cow in milk; they may add to the flow of it when given to a cow with hay, but the chief dependence must be upon the latter; carrots are far superior. Cabbages are likewise of eminent service in this respect, but they require to be given with a good portion of fine hay; and as well as turnips, the utility of which is too well known to require any particular detail here; they are apt to impart an unpleasant flavor to butter, unless great care be taken to remove all the decayed leaves. And even then if a cow be in any wise full fed on turnips, her milk, and the butter made from it will taste of it. To avoid this taste in the butter, the following receipe from Hunter's Georgical Essays may be found useful." Let the vessels in which the milk is put, be kept constantly clean and well scalded with boiling water before using. When the milk is brought into the dairy, to every eight quarts of milk, mix one quart of boiling water: then put up the milk into the pans to stand for cream. ."-Rowen grass, also, dried and reserved for winter's use, is an excellent food for milch cows; as are oil-cake, linseed-jelly, and grains. By the judicious use of these various articles, together with a due admixture of dry food, considerable nutriment is thrown into the system, while the regular secretions will be excited, and the quality of the milk very materially improved.

It is important, also, that due attention should be paid to the salting of cows, as well as other cattle. The advantages of salt, are

I. It restores the tone of the stomach when impaired by excess in other food, and corrects the crudity of moist vegetables and grasses in a green

state.

II. It helps digestion, keeps the body cool, by which many disorders are prevented; and it destroys botts.

III. It renders inferior food palateable; and is so much relished by cattle, that they seek it with eagerness in whatever state it may be found, and have been rendered so tame by its use, that if they stray from their pastures, they will return at the usual time for their accustomed allowance.

IV. When given to cows, it increases the quantity of their milk, and has a material effect in correcting the disagreeable taste it acquires from turnips.

OF THE MANAGEMENT OF MILK AND CREAM; AND THE MAKING AND PRESERVING OF BUTTER.

Before speaking of the management of milk and cream, it will be proper to make a few observations on the Situation, and Buildings proper for a Dairy.

I. A dairy ought if possible to be so arranged, that its lattices may never front the south, south west, south east, or west;-a northern aspect is the best; but there should be openings on two sides of the building, in order to admit, when necessary, a free current of air.

II. The temperature of the milk-room, should be as nearly uniform as possible, that is from fifty to fifty-five degrees of Farenheit's thermometer. This may be effected by making use either of a well ventilated cellar, or, of a house constructed for the purpose, consisting of double walls, so thick as not to subject the interior to the changes of temperature abroad.

MAKING AND PRESERVING BUTTER.

III. As great cleanliness is requisite, and at the same time coolness, the floor should be made of stones, bricks, or tiles, in order that it may be fre quently washed, both to sweeten and to cool the air.

IV. If practicable, a small current of water should be so introduced as to run in a constant stream along the pavement. This will contribute much to preserve the air, pure, fresh, and cool. If a current of water cannot be obtained an ice-house should be attached to the dairy.

V. Cream which is put by for churning ought never to be kept in that apartment, which contains the milk; because acidity in cream is expected, and necessary before butter will come.

VI. If necessary at any time during the winter months to raise the tem perature of the milk room, hot water should be made use of, or a few hot bricks; but on no account whatever, should a chafing dish with burning coals be used, as it will certainly impart a bad taste to the milk.

We shall now proceed to speak of the management of milk and cream, and the making and preserving of butter.

In this country, it is the general practice to milk cows twice in the course of twenty-four hours, throughout the year; but in summer the proper periods are, at least three times every day, and at intervals as nearly equidistant as possible; viz. in the morning, at noon, and a little before the approach of night. For it is a fact, confirmed by the experience of those who have tried it, that cows, when milked thrice in the day will yield more milk in point of quantity, and as good, if not better quality, than they will under the common mode of milking only on the morning and evening.

With regard to the process of making butter we would observe:

I. The milk first drawn from a cow is always thinner, and inferior in quality to that afterwards obtained, and this richness increases progressively to the very last drop that can be drawn from the udder.

II. The portion of cream rising first to the surface, is richer in point of quality, and greater in quantity, than that which rises in the second equal space of time, and so of the rest; the cream continually decreasing, and growing worse than the preceding.

III. Thick milk produces a smaller proportion of cream than that which is thinner, though the cream of the former is of a richer quality. If thick milk, therefore, be diluted with water, it will afford more cream than it would have yielded in its pure state, though its quality will at the same time be inferior.

IV. Milk carried about in pails, or other vessels, agitated and partly cooled before it be poured into the milk pans, never throws up such good and plentiful cream as if it had been put into proper vessels im mediately after it came from the cow.

From these fundamental facts, many very important corollaries serving to direct the practice, may be deduced, among which we can only notice the following:

I. It is evidently of much importance, that the cows should be always milked as near the dairy as possible, to prevent the necessity of carrying and cooling the milk before it be put into the dishes; and as cows are much hurt by far driving, it must be a great advantage in a dairy farm to have the principal grass fields as near the dairy or homestead as possible. In this point of view, also, the practice of feeding cows in the

MAKING AND PRESERVING BUTTER.

house, rather than turning them out to pasture in the field, must appear to be obviously beneficial.

II. The practice of putting the milk of all the cows of a large dairy into one vessel, as it is milked, there to remain till the whole milking be finished, before any part is put into the milk pans, seems to be highly injudicious, not only on account of the loss sustained by the agitation and cooling; but also, and more especially, because it prevents the owner of the dairy from distinguishing the good from the bad cow's milk, so as to enlighten his judgment respecting the profit that he may derive from each. Without this precaution, he may have the whole of his dairyproduce greatly debased by the milk of one bad cow, for years together, without being able to disover it. A better practice, therefore, would be, to have the milk drawn from each cow separately, put into the creamingpans as soon as milked, without being ever mixed with any other; and if these pans were all made of such a size as to be able to contain the whole of one cow's milk, each in a separate pan, the careful dairywoman would thus be able to remark, without any trouble, the quantity of milk afforded by each cow every day, as well as the peculiar qualities of the cow's milk. And if the same cow's milk were always to be placed on the same part of the shelf, having the cow's name written beneath, there never could be the smallest difficulty in ascertaining which of the cows it would be the owner's interest to dispose of, and which he ought to keep and breed from.

A small quantity of clear water, cold in summer, and warm in winter, put into the bottom of the milk-pan, is said to assist the rising of the

cream.

III. If it be intended to make butter of a very fine quality, it will be advisable, not only to reject entirely the milk of all those cows which yield cream of a bad quality, but also, in every case, to keep the milk that is first drawn from the cow, at each milking, entirely separate from that which is got last; as it is obvious, if this be not done, the quality of the butter must be greatly debased, without much augmenting its quantity. It is also obvious, that the quality of the butter will be improved in proportion to the smallness of the quantity of the last drawn milk which is used, as it increases in richness to the very last drop that can be drawn from the udder at that time; so that those who wish to be singularly nice, will do well to keep for their best butter a very small proportion only of the last-drawn milk.

With respect to the operation of churning, we would particularly remark, that it ought to be regularly continued, till the butter is come, or formed; nor, unless from absolute and irremediable necessity, should any assistant be allowed to churn; because, if the motion be, in summer, too quick, the butter will in consequence ferment and become ill-tasted; and, in winter, it will go back. The business of churning may, however, be much facilitated, by immersing the pump-churn (if such be employed) about one foot deep into a vessel of cold water, and continuing it there till the butter is made. Where other churns are made use of, the addition of one or two table-spoonsful of distilled vinegar, after the cream has been considerably agitated, will, it is said, produce butter in the course of an hour. After the butter is formed, the usual practice is to wash it in several waters till all the milk is removed; but some advise the milk to be forced out of the cavities of the butter by means of a flat, wooden ladle, furnished with a short handle, at the same time agitating

MAKING AND PRESERVING BUTTER.

the butter as little as possible, lest it become tough and gluey. The beating of butter up by the hand is an indelicate practice; and, as it is hurtful to the quality of the butter to pour cold water on it during this operation, the butter, if too soft to receive the impression of the mould, may be put into small vessels, and these be permitted to float in a trough of cold water beneath the table, without wetting the butter, which will soon become sufficiently firm. Or, when butter is first made, after as much of the milk has been got out as possible, it may be thinly spread on a marble slab, and the remaining moisture be absorbed by patting it with clean dry towels.

Dr. Anderson observes that wooden vessels are most proper for containing salted butter. Oak is said to be the best kind of wood. Iron hoops should not be used, as the rust of them will sink through the wood and injure the butter. It is difficult to season new vessels, and therefore it is best to use old ones as long as they will last. Unslacked lime, salt and water well boiled, hot water, and wood ashes, are recommended for scouring them. The vessels having been repeatedly scrubbed, with some or all of these, should afterwards be thrown into cold water to remain three or four days, or till wanted. They should then be scrubbed as before, and well rinsed with cold water, and before the butter is put in, every part of the inside should be well rubbed with salt.

Dr. Anderson's famous recipe for preserving butter has been often published, but it may not be amiss to give it again, as things of the greatest utility are a long time in making their way to general adoption. "Best common salt, two parts; saltpetre, one part; sugar, one partbeat them up together, so that they may be completely blended. To every pound or sixteen ounces of butter add one ounce of the composition. Mix it well in the mass, and close it up for use." Butter prepared in this manner will keep for years, and cannot be distinguished from that recently salted. It should however be remarked, that butter thus eured does not taste well till it has stood a fortnight or three weeks. Dr. Anderson remarks, that he has found by experience, that the above mentioned composition not only preserves the butter more effectually from any taint of rancidity, but makes it also look better, taste sweeter, richer and more marrowy, than if it had been cured with common salt alone.

A writer in the New England Farmer proposes an alteration, which he considers an improvement in the above recipe of Dr. Anderson, namely, that the sugar made use of should be loaf sugar, and that the salt should be well dried before weighing it.

When butter is put into firkins, or other vessels for preservation, it should be so closely packed and crowded, that no air can come in contact with it. The butter should be carefully covered with a piece of fine cloth, previously dipped in melted sweet butter. When more is put into the tub, take up the cloth; and after that is well crowded in, and levelled, put on the cloth again, so nicely as to shut out the air. When the tub is filled in this manner, pour a little melted butter over the surface to fill up every vacuity, before the top is put on.

"For keeping butter sweet that is salted in the usua! way," says the Farmer's Guide, "it should be salted with an ounce and a half more of the strongest and best salt, finely powdered, to each pound, and so thoroughly mixed that every part may be equally salt; made into rolls, and

MAKING AND PRESERVATION OF CHEESE.

then put into a cask of pure strong brine; and for keeping the rolls completely immersed in this liquid, there should be a cover, suitable to the dimensions of the inside of the cask, to be laid on the rolls, and sunk beneath the surface of the brine by a weight, which may be a block of wood, fastened to the cover, that will sink only to a given depth. The brine does not penetrate the butter so as to give out any additional saltness. For clarifying the brine, it should occasionally be scalded, the scum taken off, and more salt added if necessary. Butter made in May is observed to be best for keeping.

OF THE MAKING AND PRESERVATION OF CHEESE.

The goodness of cheese, as well as of butter, depends much on the quality of the milk: though the season, and particular process adopted in making it, also, have a very considerable influence upon it in this respect-more, perhaps, than the material of which it is prepared. We shall, therefore, briefly notice these circumstances; and, as different modes of making cheese are practised in different countries or places, we shall then concisely state those which are more particularly deserving of notice.

The best season for this purpose is from the commencement of May till the close of September; or, under favorable circumstances, till the middle of October; during which interval cows are, or can in general, be pastured. In many large dairies, indeed, cheese is often manufactured all the year round; but the winter cheeses are much inferior in quality to those made during the summer months; though there is no doubt but that good cheese may be made throughout the year, provided the cows be well fed in the winter.

With regard to the rennet, as no good cheese can be made without it, great attention is necessary in preparing it for coagulating the milk. Strictly speaking, rennet is the coagulated lacteous matter, or substance, found in the stomach or maws of calves that have been fed only with milk, and which was formerly used in coagulating milk; though it is, in a more extensive sense, applied to the bait, vell, maw, or stomach, as it is variously termed, which possesses the same properties; and which is now invariably used for that purpose.

Dairy women usually preserve the maw, and the curd contained in it, after salting them, and then, by steeping this bag and curd, make a rennet, to turn their milk for making cheese. But a more simple method, and which is equally good in every respect, is to throw away the curd, and, after steeping it in pickle, stretch out the maw upon a slender bow inserted into it, which will soon be very dry, and keep well for a long time. Take an inch or two of the maw thus dried, and steep it over night in a few spoonsfull of warm water, which water serves full as well as if the curd had been preserved for turning the milk. It is said, that one inch will serve for the milk of five cows.

An ingenious writer, who has made strict inquiry into this subject, recommends the following method of preparing a rennet, which he has found to be better than any other: "Throw away the natural curd," which is apt to taint and give the bag a bad smell; then make an artifi

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