760 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. 



This is a great help in maintainiug the correct temperature, as water is 

 not subject to sucli rapid clianges as is air, aud should it change, is easily 

 remedied by adding warm or cold Avater. Frequent stirring of the cream 

 causes it to ripen evenly, and gives a smooth body, free from lumps. 

 Knowing just when the cream lias enough acid to give correct flavor to 

 the butter and make churning reasonably easy is one of the fine points in 

 buttermaking. The acid test is a great help in determining this. Over- 

 ripe cream may make rancid butter, while that from underripe cream 

 tends to lack tlavor and keeping qualities. The temperature for churn- 

 ing should be as low as can be used and secure the butter in a reasonable 

 time. Churning should be stopped while granules are small to give thor- 

 ough washing and even distribution of salt. Wash water should be near 

 the same temperature as butter milk to avoid streaks in butter from 

 unequal salting. 



Work the butter by pressure as much as possible, as rubbing or rolling 

 out into thin sheets tends to injure texture. A rectangular print wrapped 

 in parchment paper is a desirable form for retail trade, as it is convenient 

 for putting up and has a neat appearance, which usually counts in secur- 

 ing customers. 



It may seem unnecessary to say anything about the correctness of 

 weight of each print, for dairy people are of course all honest, but we have 

 known of some making mistakes to the amount of four ounces to the 

 print. Sixteen ounces are not an over-abundance when selling by the 

 pound. 



Regularity of delivery is always an important part of the work. We 

 find that customers will come to the wagon for their butter, which saves 

 much time, especially if one has to do their own driving and hitching. 

 Customers who remain at home during the year are preferable to those 

 who pay a fancy price during the Avinter and are away during the summer 

 months, when butter is more plentiful. Have found it the best plan to 

 sell for cash; then there is no collecting or hunting for persons who find 

 It convenient to move freqtiently. 



When speaking of our work we often hear the question. "Isn't it a 

 life of drudiiery. this making and peddling butter?" If one chooses to 

 consider work drudgery it most surely is, for there is plenty of hard work 

 necessaiy to success. While to the one who is willing to put thought and 

 earnest application to the work, thinking of the improvement to be made, 

 of the mastery of principles and applying of same, there is interesting and 

 profitable employment. When we begun the dairy business we studied 

 every bulletin we could lay our hands on, and got eveiything that we 

 thought would give us information along these lines. We studied on the 

 question of what kind of a cow we shoidd choose for a butter cow, and 

 we made some very good selections, but 1 think there was more luck 

 about it than anything else. We bought five cows, and we now have a 

 herd of nine, and we have been keeping a record of them for eight months. 



