DOMESTIC ECONOMY AND FAMILY RECIPES. 727 



ous in this compound. The saltpetre is in too small quantities to 

 prove injurious; but it prevents the butter from turning raiuid. 

 While the sugar supplies the required sweetness, the salt rulains 

 its flavor, and the result is the best of butter the following May. 



In the summer season, if it is wished to keep butter perfectly 

 Bweet and fresh, make it in balls, print them both sides, (if large,") 

 then put a layer hardened in ice into the butter crock, place over 

 it a clean cloth, dipped in ice water ; then another layer of butter 

 cakes, another cloth wet in ice— so on until the crock is filled. 

 Make a brine of two quarts of water, two pounds of Ashton salt, 

 one pound of granulated sugar, one pound of saltpetre; dissolve, 

 and strain it through a cloth to remove all impurities. Fill the 

 crock to the brim, put a plate over the upper cloth, and a very 

 clean stone on the plate. Then cover tight, and the butter will 

 be as good in six weeks or two months as the first day. Indeed, 

 if not used daily it will keep till next August. If you do not fill 

 the crock the first time, pour otf all your brine, put another layer 

 of cakes, another of cloth, until filled, then strain the brine 

 through a sieve into the crock. It must be kept filled, or moist- 

 ure and mould w^ould gather on the sides. The advantage of the 

 cloth layer is, that each layer of cakes is kept from tlie air, and 

 not disturbed until the upper layer is removed. Prepare the 

 brine, keep it in a stone jar, — be sure to keep the plate, with a 

 stone for weight, on top of it, — and your butter will keep sweet 

 for weeks. The brine will not need renewing for a long time; 

 ■when.it does, boil it, and skim, and it is again ready for use. 

 Large bunches of sweet clover tied up and laid upon the milk 

 shelves, or hung in the windows of the dairy, take away any musti- 

 ness, and give a very sweet odor to the place. 



To put down butter in firkins, be sure to select hard wood 

 firkins, then soak in sour milk or strong brine for several days. 

 When one is to be used, rub it well with fine salt all al)out the 

 inside of it, and scatter salt on the bottom before putting in the 

 first layer. Then pound it down well, — some use a pestle to pack 

 it tightly, — if little crevices are left the butter will not keep as 

 •welL If you cannot fill your firkin at once, fill it to the brim 

 with strong brine, pouring it off when more butter is added, and 

 filling up again, unless the butter fills the firkin. Put a cloth 

 tightly over it, scatter salt over the cloth, and pour on brine. If 

 salted with the saltpetre compound, your butter is good for one 

 3'ear. 



If in winter, when the cows feed chiefly on hay, a little colornig 

 is needed to take away the tallowy look of the butter, carrots wdl 

 impart it, and they are sweet delicious food. Take two large 

 sized carrots, clean thoroughly, then with a knife scrape oil the 

 yellow exterior, leaving the white pith, soak the yellow part m 

 boilincr milk for ten or fifteen minutes. Straiu boiling hot into 



