550 BUTTER 



BULLY TREE. A species ofMimusops (mimus, a mimic, <Sty, appearance) which 

 grows in Demerara and Berbice, where it is used for house frames and other purposes 

 in building, also for the spokes of wheels. It may be obtained nearly 30 feet long, 

 and squares about 25 inches. 



BULRUSH, or Tall Club. (Scirpus lacustrls ; Celtic, cirs, rushes.) The bul- 

 rush, belonging to the natural order of Cyperacees, grows naturally on alluvial soils 

 which are occasionally covered with fresh water. A species of Typha (Natural Order, 

 Typhacece), is also known commonly as bulrush. It is much used by coopers for 

 putting between the staves of barrels, and by chair-makers. Many other plants 

 belonging to this order are employed for economical purposes, such as forming seats, 

 ropes, mats, and fancy basket-work, also for thatching houses. 



BUNCH. A miner's term for an isolated mass of ore. A lode is said to be bunchy 

 when the metalliferous ore is found in irregular and sparsely distributed masses, the 

 other portions being made up of valueless earthy minerals. 



BUNCHY. In mining, A lode in which the ore occurs in isolated masses 

 scattered through it. 



BUNG. A large cork for casks. The name in Persia for hemp, the Cannabis sativa. 



BUNNY. In mining. A pipe of ore or a mass not a vein or lode. 



BUNTING. An open-made worsted stuff, used for making flags. 



BUNTXUPFERERZ. (Ger. Variegated copper ore). This term is commonly 

 applied, even by English mineralogists, to an ore of copper, otherwise known as 

 Erubescite, Pkillipsite, Bornite, and Purple Copper Ore. By our Cornish miners it is 

 generally known as Horse-Flesh Ore. See COPPER, Ores of. 



BURGUNDY PITCH. Burgundy pitch, when genuine, is made by melting 

 frankincense (Abietis resina) in water and straining it through a coarse cloth. The 

 substance usually sold as Burgundy pitch is, however, common resin incorporated 

 with water and coloured with palm-oiL In some cases American turpentine is em- 

 ployed. See PITCH and TAB. 



BUSKERS. Women are so called who are engaged in removing from woollen 

 cloths, with tweezers, all irregular threads or hair. 



BURNETT'S FLUID. A solution of chloride of zinc is commonly known as Sir 

 William Burnett's disinfecting fluid. It is largely used as a powerful disinfectant. 



BURNING HOUSE. A miner's term. In Cornwall the kiln or oven in which 

 the tin and other ores are placed to sublime the volatile constituents, sulphur and 

 arsenic, is so called. 



BURNT LEAVINGS. See COPPER. 



BURNT SUGAR. See CARAMEL. 



BURROW. A miner's term for a heap of rubbish. 



BUSKS. The flat whalebones, or steel supports for the stays of women. 



BUSSORAH GUM. See BASSORA. 



BUTT. A large cask. The beer and wine butt should contain three barrels, or 

 108 imperial gallons. The wine butt formerly held 130 of the old wine gallons. 



In the leather trade, a butt is a rounded crop, or a full hide. 



BUTTER. (Beurre, Fr. ; Butter, Ger.) Butter is the fatty matter of milk, 

 usually that of the cow. Milk is composed of butter, casoine, sugar of milk, 

 several salts, and water. The butter exists in the form of very small globules of 

 nearly uniform size, quite transparent, and strongly refractive of light. Milk left in 

 repose throws up the lighter particles of butter to the surface as cream. It was 

 imagined that the butter was separated in the process of churning, in consequence 

 of the milk becoming sour ; but this is not the case, for milk rendered alkaline by 

 bicarbonate of potash affords its butter fully more readily than aciduous milk. 

 The best temperature for churning milk or cream is 53 F. ; that of 60 is too high ; 

 and under 50 is too low. By the churning action the heat rises from 3 to 4 F. 

 All the particles of butter are never separated by churning ; many remain diffused 

 through the butter-milk, and are easily discoverable by the microscope. These 

 are more numerous in proportion to the bulk of the liquid ; and lienco it is more 

 economical to churn cream than the whole milk which affords it. It is computed 

 that a cow which gives 1,800 quarts (old English) of milk per annum eats in that 

 time 8,000 Ibs. of hay, and produces 140 Ibs. of butter. Analysis shows that this 

 weight of hay contains 168 Ibs. of fat. The finest flavoured butter is obtained from 

 milk churned not long after it is drawn ; but the largest proportion is derived from 

 the cream thrown up by milk after standing 24 hours in a temperature of about 

 50 F. The butter-milk, which contains the very fermentable substance, cascine, 

 should be well separated frm the butter by washing with cold water, and by beating 

 with the hands, or preferably, without water, for the sake of fine flavour, by the action 

 of a press. 



The Tartars and French have long been in the habit of preserving butter, by 



