214 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



latterly arrayed we have nothing to say ; but to the former our 

 advice is, to wash her butter in clean cool water three times, or 

 until the water brings away no buttermilk. Then sift some fine 

 salt (Ashton is the best,) and salt it by using one ounce of salt 

 to a pound of butter. In the summer time a little more salt 

 may be added, as some will be dissolved by the last buttermilk. 

 After salting put the butter in pans on a cool floor, and after 

 four or six hours, work out the last buttermilk. Then let it 

 stand till next day, and make it up into balls for sale, or pack 

 it for future use. 



We have thus far said nothing about the kind of cows which 

 is best for the farmers of Barnstable County. This would come 

 more appropriately in a report upon " Milch Cows," but we 

 cannot close without saying a word upon this subject. As far 

 as the production of cream is concerned, and a kind of cream 

 that will produce the sweetest and yellowest butter upon fair 

 feeding, there is no cow so good as the Alderney. When 

 quantity of milk only is required for daily sale, we perhaps 

 should prefer the Ayrshire, because our pastures are not rich 

 enough for the Durham. But as our subject is only the dairy, 

 we should leave the question of quantity of milk to other com- 

 mittees and confine ourselves to butter alone. Well, then, the 

 cow that makes the best butter is the Alderney ; and any gentle- 

 man who wants but one cow for family use, and can afford it, 

 had better procure one. It would be well for any farmer who 

 has a herd of native or grade cows, to have one Alderney to 

 color and flavor his butter. The sweetness of butter depends 

 very much on the sweetness of the grass and hay. Some farms 

 produce very sweet feed, and such will make good butter from 

 any good cows, whether blood cows or natives. Where the 

 grass of a farm is poor and sour, as it is on many farms, not 

 even Alderneys would produce very sweet butter, and so the 

 cow might suffer in character when the cause was the food. 



Daniel Scudder, Chairman. 



