THE DAIRY. 



225 



that is washed. Swedish butter, made according to Gussander s method, in which the cream 

 is raised in twenty-four hours at a temperature of 60 to 75 F., is prepared without water, 

 and has a very fine flavor; but it will not keep any length of time, unless it is thoroughly 

 washed before being salted. Salt removes but little from butter except water, and a small 

 amount of sugar. The water used in washing butter should be entirely free from all 

 impurities or flavors, such as a disagreeable taste imparted by a pump with pine tubing, or 

 the impure water of some cisterns. 



Salting Butter. A little salt is generally added to butter to improve its flavor. It 

 is also necessary to preserve butter that is to be kept long; butter can, however, be kept for 

 some time without salt. Salt aids in removing buttermilk or water from the pores of the 

 butter, and tends to prevent the casein and other matters that cannot be removed, from 

 becoming rancid. The amount of salt to be used will depend, in a great measure, upon the 

 time the butter is to be kept. Many dairymen use but a quarter of an ounce of salt to a 

 pound of butter, when it is designed for immediate use; but when it is to be packed away 

 for winter use, or kept for a con 

 siderable length of time, the gen 

 eral rule for salting is an ounce 

 of salt to a pound of butter, 

 although some use but three- 

 quarters of an ounce of salt to a 

 pound. Over-salting renders but 

 ter less palatable to the taste, and 

 is less healthy as an article of 

 food than fresh, sweet butter. 



Never guess at the amount 

 of salt to be used; first weigh the 

 butter, and add the proper pro 

 portion of salt. Greater care is 

 necessary in selecting the salt for 

 butter than most dairymen are 

 aware, as even the smallest quan 

 tities of the chlorides of calcium 

 and magnesium in the salt will 

 give the butter a bitter and un 

 pleasant taste. These are the common impurities of salt. Salt should always be kept in a 

 dry, pure atmosphere. Foul gases and taints may be absorbed by salt, although it is pre 

 serving in its nature. Salt that has been kept in a damp atmosphere, and exposed to the 

 odors of decaying vegetables, cesspools, the cooking of cabbage or onions, etc., is not fit to be 

 used in butter. It should never be left open to gather impurities, such as dust, crumbs from 

 the pantry, etc. Butter is often spoiled by a neglect of such care. The pure fat of butter 

 may be kept for months without becoming rancid ; but by the usual modes of butter making 

 buttermilk cannot be entirely removed, and the casein contained in it acts as a ferment upon 

 both the sugar and the butter, the casein becoming changed to lactic acid. 



Working Butter. The object of working butter is to free it from the buttermilk it 

 contains, and to distribute the salt evenly through the entire mass. It is well understood 

 that the less manipulation the butter receives to accomplish this end, the better for the butter, 

 as its grain is injured by much working. In working, the hands should never come in 

 contact with the butter, as it will injure its quality. 



There are various kinds of butter workers in the market, each having their respective 



THE EUREKA BUTTER WORKER. 



