THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



391 



DAIRY MANAGEMENT. 



BY THOMAS HORSFALL. 

 (Concluded from page 356.) 



Quality of Butter. — Iq January, 1857, Bamples of about 56 

 oza. each of butter of my owu, and also of Mr. Alcock's, were 

 sent to the laboratory of Messrs. Price and Co.'s caudle works 

 at Belmont: — 

 My butter was found to consist of (taking the pure fat only) 

 Hard fat, mostly margarine, fusible at 95 degs. . 45'9 

 Liquid orolein , 54'1 



1000 

 Mr. Alcock's— 



Hard fat, mostly margarine, fusible at 100 degs. . 36 

 Liquid or olein , 640 



1000 

 For these analyses of butter the agricultural public are indebted 

 to the good offices of Mr. George Wilson, director of Messrs. 

 Price and Co.'s manufactory. It will be observed that Mr. 

 Alcock's milk is richer in butter, and that his butter is also 

 richer in proportion of olein to margarine than ray own. 



Professor Thompson ("Elements of Agricultural Che- 

 mistry," 6th edition, p. 317) states that winter butter con- 

 sists more of solid, and summer more of liquid or olein fat. 



An analysis of butter made in Vosges, gives — 



Summer. Winter. 



Solid or margarine fat 40 65 



Liquid (or olein) fat 60 35 



100 100 



In Lehmann's " Physiological Chemistry" (Leipsic edi- 

 tion, vol. ii., p. 329) an analysis of butter by Bromus, gives — 



Margarine 68 



Olein 30 



Special butter oil 2 



100 



It will be observed that my butter may baclassed as sum- 

 mer butter, and that Mr. Alcock's is the richest in propor- 

 tion of olein. Both were produced in the month of Ja- 

 nuary. 



These results are important, and completely establish the 

 conclusion I had previously formed, that the quantity and 

 quality of butter depend essentially on the food and treat- 

 ment ; and that by suitable means you can produce as much 

 and as rich butler in winter as in summer. 



From information derived from various sources in the dis- 

 trict in which the same breed of cows is kept, the average 

 quantity of butter from milk is somewhat more than an 

 ounce to each quart, or from 16 quarts of milk 17 to 18 oz. 

 of butter, t This is during summer, and whilst the cows are 

 at grass. 



During the winter season the supply of butter from the 

 dairy-keepers in this vicinity falls off to one-fourth of what 

 they produce in summer. 



I am led to infer that there is some misapprehension as 

 to what forms the excellence of butter. On inquiring of a 

 Jermyn-street factor, 1 learnt that rich oily butter is pre- 

 ferred in winter, and hard butter in summer. This prefer- 

 ence to hard butter in summer will doubtless be owing to its 

 withstanding better the effects of heat, and consequently 

 being more palatable . 



It seems probable that the higher price of butter, in com- 

 parison with that of suet or other solid fat, is due not only 

 to its agreeable flavour but also to its proportion of olein, 

 which is known to be more easy of digestion, and more avail- 

 able for respiration than solid or margarine fat. We find it 

 preferred for pastry and other culinary preparations, in which 

 its peculiar flavour disappears ; the essential oil in which 

 this resides being very volatile and easily removed by cook- 

 ing or exposure to frost. 



Olive oil, which amongst the vegetable oils has the 

 greatest proportion of olein (72 to 28 margarine), is much 

 used in culinary preparations, especially on the continent. 

 Any one who has partaken of a beef-steak nicely prepared 

 with refined olive oil in the cuisine of a first-rate foreign 

 hotel, will scarcely detect the substitution of this oil for 

 butter. 



The price of refined olive-oil to consumers is about equal 

 to that of butter; whilst that oflinseed oil, rape, &c., ranges 

 at from 4d. to 5d. per lb. 



Use of Rape-cake. — Having had considerable experience 

 in the use of rape-cake as food for cattle, I offer some sug- 

 gestions to those who have been less accustomed to it, my 

 consumption of this material for dairy cows and for fatten- 

 ing being upwards of 20 tons per year. 



When I first gave an order to the manufacturer with 

 whom I chiefly deal, about six years ago, on explaining to 

 him the purpose for which I required it, he requested time 

 for its preparation, and recommended that I would give 

 him, at the time the fresh seeds arrived, an order to the ex- 

 tent of my requirements for the year. As the quantity I 

 ordered fell short, I sent for a further supply without no- 

 tice ; on its arrival I was not satisfied with its appearance 

 or effects. On making a complaint, I was reminded by the 

 manufacturer of his request that I would give him previous 

 notice. He then explained that his object was to select 

 seed free from mustard or other impurity. Since then I 

 have hud no occasion to find fault with the cake from this 

 manufacturer. 



A sample of this was found by Professor Way to con- 

 tain, of 



Moisture 8-49 



Woody fibre 861 



Starch, gum, sugstr, &c 37"93 



Albuminous matter 31'42 



Oil and fatty matter 10-65 



Ash 2-90 



100-00 

 I have occasionally bought German and Danish rape-cake; 

 it is made up in thick square pieces of a rich green colour, 

 and not so hard pressed. An analysis of this by Professor 

 Way gave, of albuminous matter 30 and of oil 1316 per 

 cent. Until this season I had no grounds to find fault with 

 this foreign cake, but was satisfied to pay for it a higher 

 price, owing to its superior richness in oil. In this season's 

 importation I was led to suspect to some admixture of mus- 

 tard-seed. On macerating a sample in tepid water, 1 per- 

 ceived an admixture of yellow husks, and likewise the smell 



