80 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



are the mainspring of the success and favorable reputation that the 

 Robbinsdale dairy has met with ; but the fact of having these cows 

 does not warrant a gilt-edged article of butter. The water they 

 drink, the feed and the care, are most important considerations. 

 Our Eastern Maine Fair has always opened the last week in 

 August, the most difficult month of the year to make meritorious 

 butter. It has been my plan to have one or two cows in new milk 

 by the first of this month. As the pastures grow poor at this time, 

 we supplement the grass feed with second crop of clover at night, 

 and mixed provender in morning, occasional!}' giving bone meal, 

 and never overlooking the fact that the}' have access to salt. 

 These cows have plenty of room and good air in stable, and are 

 kept clean and dry, which, almost always, ensures cleanliness in 

 milking. A matter of great importance with me is not allowing 

 milk to stand in stable ; after being milked it is brought directly to 

 the house and strained, not an}- being accepted that shows any 

 sediment on strainer. I lay no importance on straining milk to 

 remove impurities. In sultry days I endeavor to free the milk at 

 night from animal heat, by setting the open pails of milk in ice cold 

 water and stirring it a few moments ; sometimes add cold water to 

 the milk to reduce the temperature, and at all times exercising a 

 watchful care that no kitchen odors or vitiated air reach it. This 

 fact needs to be emphasized, that the most persistent care and 

 nicety be exercised from the time the milk is drawn from the cow's 

 udder until the butter reaches its destination. The cream for the 

 "■fair butter," in my practice of setting milk in open pans, does not 

 go through any curing process after being skimmed, as required by 

 the Cooley system. A part of it is taken from the milk in twelve 

 hours, and all in twenty-four hours, the greater portion being sweet 

 cream, and is directly churned. The churn used has always been 

 on the so-called Blanchard principle. In churning, what cream 

 adheres to the sides of the churn is often removed or turned down 

 with a wooden knife, that it may all have a uniform treatment. To 

 insure the best of butter, I would not have this cream come and be 

 gathered for butter in less than thirty-five or forty minutes. If it 

 should be more than sixty minutes you need not expect it will be 

 prize butter. This is the Scylla and Charybdis where I have been 

 shipwrecked (An illustration from my experience might here be 

 given). The second year of the Bangor Fair, my butter was 

 returned with this criticism, that it was over-worked. It was over- 



