470 



F A R M E li S ' R K G I S I E K 



[No. y 



Common palt is nimost the only pul)stance that, 

 lias been iiillierto eiii[)lnycd for the piirpope o( prc- 

 servinn: biilter; but 1 liavc (band, by experience, 

 that the lbllowin<i; composition ip, in many rvs- 

 pects, preferable to il, as it not only preserves? the 

 butter more eU'ecliially from any taint oi' rancidity, 

 but makes it also look better, and taste sweeter, 

 richer, and more marrowy, than if the same but- 

 ter had deen cured with common salt alone. I 

 have frequently made comparative trials with the 

 same butler, and always limnd the dilference much 

 greater than could well be conceived. Tlie com- 

 position is as follows: 



Take of sugar one part, of nitre one part, and of 

 the best Spanish great salt, (or of Doctor Swe- 

 diaur^s best salt, which is still better tlinn the 

 former, being cleaner, [^or best rock salt,}) two 

 parts. Beat the lohole into a fine powder, mix 

 them well together, and put them by for use. 



Of this composition one ounce should be put 

 to every sixteen ounces of butter;* mix this salt 

 thoroughly with the butter as soon as it has been 

 freed I'roni tlie milk, and put it, without loss of time, 

 down into the vessel prepared to receive it, press- 

 ing it so close as to leave no air-holes, or any kind 

 oC cavities within it. Smooth the surface, and if 

 you expect that il will be above a day or two belbre 



* It is of njreat consequence that every process, which 

 requires much thous;ht or nicety, should be banished, 

 if possible, from all branches of manufacture. On 

 this principle, as some diiticultuy might arise in pro- 

 portioninij; the quantity of salt to unequal weights of 

 butter, 1 should advise "that every person who means to 

 adopt this practice at larj^e should begin with provi-- 

 ding himsrdf with a steelyard so constructed as that 

 sixteen ounces in the one scale is exactly balanced by 

 one in the other. And that he may be at no loss to 

 provide himself with this simple apparatus, the follow- 

 ing directions may be attended to. 



Let him provide two scales of equal weight ; one of 

 them should be of wood, and flat, lor the butter, no 

 matter what form or materials the other is of; let him 

 then take a slip of deal two inches broad, half an inch 

 thick, and two feet long. Near to each end, and at 

 about half an inch from the same side at each end, 

 make a hole through the board, to which the scales 

 may be fastened by means of a loop of wire ; observe, 

 that these two holes should be placed exactly at the 

 same distance from the edge. Let him then load the 

 two scales, one of them with one ounce, and the other 

 with sixteen, and having di'awn a line parallel to what 

 will now appear to be the upper side of the beam, at 

 lialf an inch from the top all along on each side, let 

 hnn be provided with two sharp-pointed instruments. 

 such as a shoemaker's awl. Let him then try to find 

 a point in the new-made line on each side of the beam, 

 where, when the beam is allowed to vibrate on his 

 awls placed directly opposite to each other, the two 

 weights balance each other. This point he will soon 

 discover to be much nearer one of the ends of the 

 beam than the other. Through this point let him 

 ])ierce a hole by means of a round hot iron. Through 

 this hole put a piece of thick iron wire, which if sup- 

 ported at each end will serve as a pivot. The appar- 

 atus is now complete. 



And whenever it is afterwards wanted, nothing more 

 is necessary than to place the butter, whatever be its 

 weight into the butter-scale, and then to put as much 

 of the composition into the opposite scale as brings 

 the beam to a balance ; and this will in all cases be 

 the due proportion of salt for the butter, whatever the 

 weight of tliat butter may be. 



you can add more, cover it close up with, a piec< 

 of (ilean linen, and above thai a piece of wetted 

 |)andinient, or. for want of liiat, fine linen that 

 lias been dipped in melted butter, thai is exactly 

 fitted to the edges of the vessel all round, so as to 

 exclude the air as much as possible, without tlie 

 assistance of any watery brine ; when more but- 

 ter is to be added, these coverings are to be taken 

 off; and ilie butter applied close above the former, 

 pressing it down and smoothing it as belbre, and 

 soon till the vessel be lull. When it is quite full 

 let the two covers be spread overit with the great- 

 est care, and let a little melted butler be poured all 

 round the edges, so as to fill up every crann}', and 

 efiectually exclude the air. A linle salt may be 

 then strewed over the whole, and the cover ho, 

 firnjiy fixed down to remain close shut till it b(^, 

 opened for use. If all this be carefully done., tlin 

 butter may be kept perfectly sound in this climatr; 

 for how many years I cannot tell ; but 1 have seen 

 it two years old, and in every respect as sweet and 

 sound as when it was only a mcntli old. 



It deserves to be remarked, that butter cured in 

 this manner does not taste well till it has stood at 

 least a Ibrtnight after being salted ; but after that 

 perioti is elapsed, it eats with a rich marrowy taste 

 that no other butter ever acquires; and it tastes so 

 little of salt, that a person who had been accus- 

 tomed to eat butter cured with common salt only, 

 would not imagine il had got one-fburth part of the 

 salt that would be necessary to preserve it.f 



fiu'ter thus cured would bear to be carried to 

 the East or the West Indies, and would keep 

 sweet during the longest voyages, if il were so 

 packed as not to allow the butter to be so far melted 

 as to occasion the salts to separate fi-om it. But 

 as none of these salts admit of any chemical 

 union with the butter, it must happen that if ever 

 the butter be so far melted its to become of a fluid 

 consisience, the salts drop to the bottom, and the 

 butler, deprived of their antiseptic powers, quickly 

 becomes rancid. It would be a great improve- 

 ment in the culinary art, if any antiseptic substances 

 could be found that possessed any agreeable taste 



t But after this butter has been cured in the most 

 perfect manner, it may chance to be much debased in 

 its quality by being improperl)'' treated during the 

 time it is using. Therefore observe, that, when it is 

 broken up for use, a small portion should be pared 

 from tlie surface all over, especially near the edges, in 

 case the air should not have been so entirely excluded 

 as it ought to have b.^en. If it be quickly consumed, 

 it may be then spooned up as it is wanted, without 

 any other precaution than that of keeping it carefdly 

 covered up so as to exclude dust, &.c. from having ac- 

 cess to it. But if it be to be used very slowly, and if 

 the person to be employed in spooning it up be not 

 very careful, or so indolent as not to be at the trouble 

 of closing it up at each time with the covers, it may 

 happen that the ])art which is thus long exposed to the 

 air may contract a small degree ranciditj\ To guard 

 against this evil, in these circumstances, when the 

 vessel is opened let a strong brine of common salt be 

 prepared that will swim an egg, and poured, when 

 cold, upon the siirface of the butter ; this will cover 

 that surface effectually, even though the operator slioulil 

 be a little careless, and will thus guard against the in- 

 convenience comi)laiiied of: for though the quality ol 

 the butter will thus be injured in souif degree in con- 

 sequence of the water acting upon it, yet that is an 

 evil of far less material moment than the slightest de- 

 g-ree of rancidity would occasion. 



