CATTLE-TIIE DAIRY. 853 



a bucket of cold water, hold it as high as you can, and pour 

 it upon the butter in a stream large enough to force its way 

 all through the particles, and fill up the churn until the butter- 

 milk is so diluted that the water will not need to be 

 changed. 



When the butter has hardened sufficiently, take it out on 

 to the butter-worker and add the salt and work it in. The 

 amount of salt to be used is a matter of taste, and will vary 

 from one-half to one ounce to the pound. The salt should 

 be finely crushed under a roller and sifted. Careful experi- 

 ment has shown that the addition of a teaspoonful of saltpeter 

 and a tablespoonful of powdered white sugar to each twenty 

 pounds of butter adds to the keeping quality and flavor of the 

 butter. The saltpeter and sugar should be crushed and sifted 

 with the salt and thoroughly mixed. Butter can be worked 

 too much, so as to destroy the grain and make it sticky, and 

 this must be avoided. 



If the butter is not washed the buttermilk must be all 

 worked out, and a large sponge, covered with a napkin, to 

 press on the butter, will be a great help in removing it. To 

 have the butter uniform in appearance it should be worked a 

 second time after standing twenty-four hours, as there will often 

 be white streaks where the butter has not taken salt if this 

 is neglected. 



Keeping Butter. Although it is desirable to have the 

 butter contracted and delivered fresh to customers, it is some- 

 t times necessary to hold for a higher price, and there are several 

 methods of putting it down for this purpose. Whatever 

 method is used, all the buttermilk must first be removed by 

 thorough working. 



One method is to add sugar and saltpeter, as before de- 

 scribed, and pack tight in firkins. Do not fill them quite full. 

 Cover the butter with two or more thicknesses of cloth which 

 has been wet in brine, and then fill the firkin to the top with 

 finely powdered salt. 



Another method is to make the butter up into rolls, and en- 

 velop each one in paper prepared for the purpose by coating 



