566 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



" that will not be so liable to injure from keeping and transporta- 

 '' tion; and then, if fault is to be found, it does not rest with you. 



** I will not suggest the possibility that your ideas of cleanliness 

 *' and neatness, may be at fault ; and that what may seem an excess 

 " of nicety and scrubbing to you, may appear to be almost slov- 

 "enliness to some others, whose butter receives the highest price 

 " in the market, and always finds the readiest sale." * * * 

 '' Dutch dairy-women give all the utensils of the dairy, from the 

 *' pails to the firkins and the casks, infinite attention, and are also 

 " extremely careful that no infectious odor rises from the surround- 

 "ings. I think you will see that it is a physical impossibility that 

 " any taint can affect the atmosphere or the utensils of such a 

 " dairy, and that many of the details of their practice may be 

 '■'■ worthy of imitation in our American dairies. 



" And here allow me to suggest that, though we may not approve 

 *' of the general management in any particular section, or any 

 " particular dairy, it is rare that there is not something in the 

 *' practice of that section that is really valuable and worthy of 

 " imitation." 



" Under ordinarily favorable circumstances, from twelve to 

 " eighteen hours will be sufficient to raise the cream, and I do not 

 " believe it should stand over twenty-four hours under any circum- 

 '' stances. This, I am aware, is very different from the general 

 *' practice over the country. But, if you will make the experi- 

 *'ment in the most careful manner, setting the pans in a good, airy 

 " place, and not upon the cellar bottom, I think you will soon 

 ''agree with me that all you get, after twelve or eighteen hours, 

 " under the best circumstances, or at most after twenty-four hours, 

 " will detract from the quality and injure the fine and delicate 

 " aroma and agreeable taste of the butter to a greater extent than 

 " you are aware of. The cream which rises from milk set on the 

 " cellar bottom acquires an acrid taste, and can neither produce 

 " butter of so fine a quality or so agreeable to the palate, as that 

 " which rises from milk set on shelves from six to eight feet high, 

 "around which there is a full and free circulation of pure air. 



