380 [Senate 



six or eight inches apart, to set the pans upon, the milk will keep 

 longer sweet, and of course more cream will rise upon it than when 

 standing on the shelf, as the air goes under the pans. Tin, or rather 

 well glazed pans are better than wood, the latter being very apt to 

 mold. The milk in summer will seldom keep sweet longer than 

 twenty-four hours; it should be skimmed as often as the milk is 

 thick, as the cream will very soon spoil if left on the milk; on no 

 account should it remain longer than thirty-six hours if you want 

 good butter; in damp, hot weather it will become musty and bitter, 

 and spoil a churning of butter. Many dairy women think that once 

 a day is enough to trouble themselves to skim milk — three times is 

 hardly sufficient to examine it, and if thick to skim it without delay; 

 put it into a stone jar, in which is a cream stick to stir it thoroughly 

 each time cream is added; when enough is collected to churn, say 

 two or three times a week, (if every day the better): in very hot 

 weather place the cream-jar in the ice-house, or in a tub of cold 

 water with ice in it, for a few hours, or all night, and churn early in 

 the morning; the butter will come easily and be iirm; wash it well 

 with cold water and put one ounce of common table salt, well rub- 

 bed or rolled, to one pound of butter; work it gently with a wooden 

 ladle, and in a wooden bowl; cover it, place it on the floor, which 

 is best of stone or brick, and well cooled with water; in the evening 

 it will answer to work it over, or the next morning early, but gently 

 as too much motion will make the butter soft; put it into rolls for 

 use or market, and place it again in a cool place; cold water or ice 

 will burden it nicely for immediate use, but it the sooner becomes 

 soft and oily when removed. Butter made in summer seldom keeps 

 well; therefore it is hardly worth while to put it down for winter, 

 but if necessary, oak or maple casks or tubs are the best to put it in; 

 it should be pretty well salted and a cloth laid on the top of the but- 

 ter and brine constantly over it. To make butter in winter is more 

 difficult, as the cream requires the aid of heat, and it is difficult to 

 get it of a proper temperature; the most certain method is to put 

 about a quart of buttermilk into the cream-jar with the first cream; 

 stir it well, cover it with a cloth to keep it free from flies or dust, 

 and place it in a room where there is a fire, (but not by the fire) — by 

 the time your next mess of milk needs skimming, it will be thick; 

 after adding the cream, again mix it well — so on until you are ready 

 to churn — if not then thick, place the jar into a pan of hot water, 

 stir the cream until the chill is removed, set it aside until thick and 

 cold, when you may churn it without trouble. Do not attempt to 

 churn the cream while warm, as your butter will come too soon and 

 be white and bitter. 



After the butter is washed and salted, let it stand but a few hours 

 in winter before working it over, as it becomes so hard that you can- 

 not mix it properly; have your tub or jar well cleaned and scalded, 

 put some brine at the bottom: then your butter, press it firmly and 

 tight with your ladle, lay a thin cloth on the butter and cover it 

 with brine; remove the cloth when you again churn; put down 

 ^our butter; cover it again as before, and so on until full; keep it 



