152 west penobscot society. 



Dairy. 



The first premium was awarded on June butter, accompanied by 

 the following statement — (excellent butter, no doubt, but might not 

 have been any worse for knowing some other particulars concerning 

 its origin.) 



" My dairy consists of 6 cows of the breed known as the Durham 

 Short horn, which I believe the best ; their average period of giving 

 milk is, I don't kiiow nor care how many months ; the average 

 yield of milk for the whole term is do. pounds per day. During 

 the month of greatest flow the yield is do. pounds per day — and its 

 quality is such that do. pounds of it will yield a pound of butter, 

 and do. pounds of it will yield a pound of cheese. Don't make any. 

 The average yield of butter per annum to each cow is do. pounds. 

 They are kept in winter on roots — beets are preferred — hay, and 

 other coarse fodder, and straw plenty, (not to be fed on, but to lay 

 on,) and in summer, good dry pasture clover and white clover, with 

 good running water. You see I don't go into all this fuss of weigh- 

 ing milk and keeping account of every cow's milk, as I don't keep 

 a clerk, and my time about the farm and other business is worth 

 more than weighing and measuring milk. But the mode of manu- 

 facturing good butter is very simple, as follows : First see that 

 every pail, pan, dish, churn, and vessel that is used, is sweet and 

 clean ; now commence the operation — let the cow's bag be well 

 brushed and the cow milked clean ; milk stand 30 or 40 minutes ; 

 then the froth scum off; now strain, but mind and not be so greedy 

 as to drain the very drugs from the bottom of the pail that settles 

 in the 30 minutes, and thereby cheat the pig of a pint of settlings ; 

 milk set four and twenty hours ; then skim in a pot and keep tight 

 from the air ; (churn, New York Patent,) churn, draw off the butter- 

 milk, and strain in pure cold water to cover the butter, churn five 

 minutes, draw ofi" the water and buttermilk, and add the water 

 again five minutes — draw otf and turn the crank the other way till 

 the butter is thereby dry, (be careful that the striped cow's milk 

 is all worked out,) then add one ounce of salt to the pound; then 

 keep on rolling till the salt is well worked in, (add no sugar or salt- 

 peter, for butter is made of milk or cream, not of sugar,) now 

 remove the dasher from the churn, take your butter patters and 

 run over in such form as you wish for balls or brick as you choose, 

 to aboard, to suit yourself; now place it in the firkin, strew in 

 very little fine salt on the layers ; now the sequel, to keep till next 

 spring, it is this : Cover it with cloths enough to keep it tight from 

 the air, and not open it till wanted, and I will warrant it to remain 

 sweet and good for a year." 



The perfect cleanliness of the above mode, and taking off the 

 cream at the end of 24 hours, might be copied with great advantage 

 in many dairies. 



