ESSEX SOCIETY. 15 



Process of Making. — The milk is strained into tin pans, 

 and placed in a cool cellar, where it stands from thirty-six to 

 forty-eight hours, when the cream is taken off, put into pails, 

 and stirred daily. We churn once a week. During the warm- 

 est weather, the cream is hung in the well, about twelve hours 

 before churning. After the butter comes, the first thing to be 

 done, is to work out the buttermilk. This is done by hand, 

 without the application of any water — believing such applica- 

 tion to be no benefit, and in some respects, injurious. About 

 one ounce of best salt is usually applied to a pound, varying in 

 some measure, according to the condition of the butter, to be 

 determined by the taste of the person working it. After stand- 

 ing about one hour, it is worked over a second time, and then 

 weighed, each pound separately. The June butter was pre- 

 served by the application of a strong brine, made of common 

 fine salt. I consider that I have used, about the milk of eight 

 cows through the season, for the making of butter, and that 

 their average yield has been about one pound of butter a day 

 to each coiv* I find a great difference in the milk of difierent 

 cows, in the making of butter ; and in selecting cows for this 

 purpose, make a point of ascertaining their butter-making qual- 

 ities, by actual experiment with their milk, 



Danvers, ^eftemher 2^th, 1849. 



* Weekly Account of Butler Made. 



May 24lh, 40 pounds. August 2d, 40 pounds. 



" 3Ist, 50 " " 9th, 40 " 



June 7th, 50 " " 16th, 42 " 



" 14th, 67 " " 25th, 41 " 



" 21st, 55 " " 30lh, 43 " 



" 28th, 56 " Sept. 6th, 42 " 



July 5th, 58 " " 18ih, 41 " 



" 12th, 52 " « 20th, 42 " 



« 19th, 45 '•' « 2kh, 35 " 



" 26lh, 45 •'• Amounting to 884 pounds. 



Kind of Churn Used. — I use the same churn I have used for twenty-five years, or more. 

 It is made in tlie form of a barrel, holding about twenty-four gallons, has a crank at the end, 

 attached to a frame-work within, that revolves and agitates the cream. In this, there may 

 be made forty pounds of butter at a churning. It usually takes from thirty minutes to an 

 hour, to bring the butter. I have tried several of the new patterns of churns. Have found none 

 that works so well as our old one. It has no patent name, but it has so long been ac- 

 customed to make good butter, that it has never yet failed to do so. There may be better 

 forms of churns, but I am content to let well enough alone, — having long since ascertained, 

 that every alteration proposed bj' interested speculators, is not an improvement. 



