838 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



careful selection of cows, such care in their feed, and nicety 

 of manipulation of the milk, cream, and butter, that it becomes 

 a fine art. It must be perfect in texture, grain, color, and fra- 

 grance, and is made up in small pats of one-fourth pound, each 

 in a linen cloth, and delivered to the customer with the very 

 odor of a clover-blossom. 



Such butter as this sells for $1.00 per pound in some of 

 our city markets, and customers for it can only be found among 

 the wealthy classes. It can only be made after serving an ap- 

 prenticeship, and under a combination of circumstances so favor- 

 able that practically it is out of reach of the farmer. I am of 

 the opinion that there would be a greater profit in first-class 

 dairy butter at less than half the price, and this can by proper 

 care be produced on any farm. What I mean by first-class dairy 

 butter is, that it be sweet and free from all bad odors or flavors, 

 of good color and grain, and free from butter-milk. A product 

 of this kind can be made, and if we do not make it, the fault 

 must be looked for in the feed, the stable, or milk-room. An 

 artist who was chiseling at a block of marble, when asked what 

 he was doing, replied, that there was a lamb shut up in it, and he 

 was letting it out. So there is in the milk, drawn from cows 

 that have been properly fed, sweet fragrant butter, but it can be 

 spoiled by unskillful handling as surely as could the 'marble statue. 



Pastures and Food. All dairymen agree that a pasture 

 of mixed grasses gives the best results for dairy stock. In 

 seeding down permanent pastures for this purpose I would use 

 timothy, orchard-grass, blue-grass, red-top, and white and red 

 clover. A pasture-field sown with a number of varieties of 

 grass will not only produce more food, but a better quality of 

 milk and butter, than if but a single variety is used. In addi- 

 tion to this, if there is good shade and an abundent supply of 

 pure water, we have all the elements of success so far as the 

 production of milk is concerned. Williard in his Butter Book, 

 says : " Different kinds of food have more or less influence on 

 the flavor of milk. Some kinds are much more efficient than 

 others, not only in promoting good flavor in the milk, but in 

 maintaining health and thrift in the animal. 



