ST HILAIRE BUTTER. 301 



While the sun came out, however, put an end to the 

 rain and dried the land, we were able to inspect the 

 well-finished stables and farra-oflfices which Major Camp- 

 bell has erected, and to inspect his dairy and his stores 

 of maple sugar. 



I have already, in speaking of the winters of New 

 Brunswick, made some remarks upon the importance of 

 greater attention to the warmth of the cattle, if their 

 condition is to be easily kept up, fodder saved, and profit 

 to be made by keeping them. In this and the lower 

 parts of Canada, similar observations apply to the mode 

 in which the habitants tend their cattle in winter. In 

 Upper Canada, west of Kingston, open hammels are in 

 use for winter shelter, but in Lower Canada this prac- 

 tice is inconsistent with economy. About Montreal, in 

 the winter of 1848, the thermometer, for three weeks 

 together, never rose above zero. To expose cattle to 

 such extreme weather is to sacrifice food. It struck me, 

 therefore, that, in erecting well-constructed warm winter 

 buildings for his stock, the Seigneur of St Hilaire was 

 setting a most commendable example to his tenantry and 

 more wealthy neighbours. 



I do not know how far the method of making butter 

 adopted in Mr Campbell's dairy is common in Lower 

 Canada, but here it is made after the manner of what 

 is sometimes called Bohemian butter^ or of some of the 

 varieties of the Epping butter of England. The cream 

 is collected, Devonshire fashion, in the form of clouted 

 cream, by placing the milk-vessel, in which the milk has 

 already stood twelve hours, upon a hot plate till it is 

 nearly boiling, then setting aside twelve hours to cool, 

 and subsequently removing the cream in the usual 

 manner. In this way it is said that a fourth more butter 

 is obtained, and the churning is performed by merely 

 stirring the cream about with a stirrer, or with the 

 naked hand. Of course the skimmed milk is more 



