112 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Statement of Mrs. George Spofford. 



I present for premium fifteen pounds of September butter, 

 made in the following manner : The milk was strained into 

 nicely scalded pans and allowed to remain so until sour, in a 

 well ventilated room ; then skimmed into tin pails ; stirred once 

 a day until churned. When taken from the churn, salted to the 

 taste ; then set away until the next morning. "Worked with the 

 hands and made into balls as presented. 



Statement of Ezra Batchelder. 



I present for your inspection fifteen pounds of September 

 butter. The process of making is as follows: The milk is 

 strained into tin pans and set in a cellar prepared for the pur- 

 pose, and allowed to remain from thirty-six to forty-eight hours ; 

 the cream is then removed to stone jars and stirred twice a day. 

 We churn once a week and salt to the taste. The butter is 

 worked by hand twice and formed in pound lumps. 



.MIDDLESEX. 



From the Report of the Committee on Butter. 



Whoever will take the trouble to examine the " Transactions 

 of the Middlesex Agricultural Society " for the last ten years, 

 must be struck by the meagre character of many of the reports 

 of the Butter Committees. As a usual thing, beyond a mere 

 statement of the awards, almost nothing has been hazarded 

 cither in the way of criticism or suggestion. Your present 

 Committee venture to step out of this beaten track, and to say 

 that they do not believe that the premiums are accomplishing 

 the amount, and especially the kind of good which they ought 

 to accomplish. And they are the more emboldened to do this, 

 when they remember the great agricultural value of the article 

 which they have under consideration. Butter, with the excep- 

 tion of hay, and possibly live stock, is the product of the farm 

 which in Massachusetts has the greatest money value. In this 

 respect it is equal or superior to the corn crop, much superior to 

 the potato crop, and probably worth more than the oat, barley, 

 wheat, orchard and market-garden crop together. Judging 

 from the past, it may be assumed that the yearly product of 

 butter in Massachusetts is from 8,000,000 to 9,000,000 pounds, 



