ESSEX SOCIETY. 17 



Charles P. Presto7i's Statement. 



I present for your examination, one pot of June butter, con- 

 taining thirty pounds, being a sample of three hundred and 

 seven pounds, made from the milk of four cows and five heif- 

 ers, between June 1st and July 9th. Wo made also, from the 

 same cows, eight hundred and five pounds, from May 24th to 

 September 24th. The feed of the cows has been an ordinary 

 pasture until August 10th, when we commenced as usual, feed- 

 ing with green corn fodder in addition. 



The milk is strained into tin pans, and set on the bottom of 

 a cool cellar, where it remains from twenty-four to thirty-six 

 hours, according to the weather. It is then skimmed, the 

 cream put in stone jars and placed in a vault, where it is ren- 

 dered as cool as possible previous to churning, which is done 

 in a common churn, made nearly in the form of a barrel, with 

 floats within attached to a crank, giving the necessary motion 

 to the cream. This we consider superior to the thermometer, 

 or any other " patent " churn, after a fair trial, having obtained 

 more butter, and of better quality. It must be known to 

 farmers who have tested the temperature of cream previous to 

 churning, that with the cream at sixty or sixty-two degrees, 

 (which is the rule applied in using the thermometer churn,) 

 butter, during the summer months, cannot be produced of such 

 a degree of hardness as is desirable, neither of as good quality 

 in other respects, as when the cream is churned at a lower tem- 

 perature. This has been ascertained after a fair trial. 



One of the most essential points in making good butter, is 

 known to be the working out of every particle of butter-milk, 

 which we do with the hands, without the application of cold 

 water. The butter is salted with an ounce of rock salt to the 

 pound, and for long keeping, should have the air excluded as 

 much as possible, no brine being necessary. 



North Danvers, ISej)t. 25, 1850. 

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