THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Ill 



: BUTTER MAKIKG. 



Messrs. Editors: — There are various methods of 

 making butter, ami as many ideas as to which isri^ht. 

 For my part, I think that the utmost cleanliness is 

 Absolutely necessary, or all the modes will prove un- 

 availing to obtain good butter. Many spoil their 

 butler by too much working and making it smooth 

 like lard, or iu other words, losing what is called the 

 graia, and mauy by carelessness about their milk 

 vessels. 



My method is as as follows: The cows in the sum- 

 mer are salted two or three times a week. The milk 

 is strained in pans holding ten quarts and placed up- 

 on shelves in a cool, dry place, with plenty of fresh 

 air, and nothing with the least unpleasant odor is al- 

 lowed to be near the apartment. In cold weather I 

 have the pans of milk placed over a kettle of hot 

 water, or upon a stove with moderate heat, and re- 

 main until it wavers upon the top of the milk. Then 

 stand in a warm place until the cream rises. Warm- 

 ing the milk causes more cream to rise and churns 

 easier. 



In warm weather I always let the milk stand un- 

 til it turns thick so as to obtain all the cream. I 

 have churning done three times a week in summer 

 and once in winter. After each skimming of the 

 cream I add about a table-spoonful of salt and mix 

 well together to keep the cream nice until churning 

 day arrives. I use a stone churn with dash in pre- 

 ference to any other, being easier churned. In warm 

 weather, when ready to commence churning, I have 

 the churn placed in a tub of cold spring water, and 

 when the cream breaks or curdles, add cold water to 

 stiffen it and make it collect well — mixing until all is 

 in a mass. Having scalded the bowl and laddie and 

 cooled with water, rub with salt to prevent sticking. 

 Then with laddie take up the butter and drain off the 

 butter-milk; put on cold water and with laddie cut the 

 butter through and through iu small pieces to wash 

 out the butter-milk, but by no means work it over 

 and over, as that will make it tough. Repeat this 

 from three to six times, or until the water runs off 

 clear; press out the water and salt to taste — using 

 fine table salt — about an ounce to a pound of butter, 

 and mix in well; let it stand until next morning, then 

 work carefully in small pieces — pressing more than 

 working, then make in rolls. If packing be desired, 

 I work twice — the last time adding a table-spoonful 

 of pulverized loaf sugar to about four or five pounds 

 of butter. Having niade ready ajar and packed it, 

 I then take some salt and pour boiling water upon 

 it to make a strong brine and set away until cold; 

 then strain on the butter. Remove the brine when 

 more butter is to be added, and then replace it; and 

 60 on until the jar is nearly filled. Lastly, leave brine 

 on the butter an inch in depth as a more effectual 

 preservative than salt. Cover the jar with a cloth, 

 then put on the lid and store in a cool cellar. 



I never had any trouble in keeping butter, and in 

 fifteen years' experience never lost a pound. The 

 great secret in preserving butter consists in extract- 

 ing every drop of butter- milk. Some may gay, "she 

 makes a great fuss about making butter." But I con- 

 tend we can have nothing good without trouble, and 

 "what is worth doing at all is worth doing well," in 

 regard to house-keeping as in every thing else. The 

 greater part of the comfort of a whole family depends 

 apon tlie house-keepers' management and OFcrsight. 



We have often heard it remarked that " the eye of 

 the master would do more work than both his hands," 

 and so in the house. It is not so much in the per- 

 formance of manual labor of a farmer's wife if she 

 keeps a servant, as in the care, she exercises, and in 

 using to advantage that very important little mem- 

 ber, the " eye," that makes a profitable wife and good 

 house-keeper. T. 



JViascara Co., JV. Y. 



CHEESE MAKING. 



Messrs Editors: — In cheese making the first re- 

 quisites are to have good utensils ; the next is to 

 have good rooms for making and keeping the cheese 

 in. Our mode of management with the milk from 

 forty cows is this: In warm weather we milk the cows 

 at night, commencing at six o'clock; strain the milk 

 into a tub and reduce the temperature by placing a 

 cooler containing four pails of cold water in the milk, 

 and allowing the same to remain till both are of the 

 same temperature. In the morning we skim the cream 

 from the milk in the tub, and then proceed to milk- 

 ing, straining the milk in the tub as before; set it at 

 90*^ ; break up in three-fourths of an hour with a curd 

 cutter, letting it settle ten minutes; dip off the whey; 

 then break up fine with the hands; then s^ald grad- 

 ually to 104°; let it stan^ half an hour, stiring occa- 

 sionally; then dip into a strainer over a sink, and stir 

 with the hands till fine, when it should be salted with 

 about one common sized tea cup full of salt to fifteen 

 pounds of cheese; press eight hours, then turn and 

 bandage, pressing twelve hours more, when it is taken 

 out p,nd placed on the table and colored with annatto 

 top and bottom. Turn once in two days, and oil on 

 the top with the oil made from the whey cream, the 

 table being kept clean by rubbing with woolen cloths. 



East De Kalb, St. Laiv. Co., JY. Y. W. F. K 



ADVANTAGES OF FORETHOUGHT IN FARMING 

 OPERATIONS 



Messrs. Editors: — In every occupation, the think- 

 ing man has the advantage. Close, consecutive, well- 

 directed thought, always brings a rich reward to the 

 thinker. Where anything is to be performed, fore- 

 thought is necessary. To the professional man, fore- 

 thought is an invaluable portion of his capital; so it 

 is to the merchant and the mechanic. To the farmer, 

 it is absolutely indispensable. He might belter do 

 without a team or a plow, than without forethought. 



Hap-hazard is a farmer without forethought. He 

 sleeps or smokes when he should be thinking. By 

 him the long winter evenings are drowsed away. 

 Spring comes. Gentle showers, a balmy atmosphere 

 and genial sunshine are ready to assist him. He has 

 no plans laid. Seed time is at hand, and his fences 

 are unrepaired, and his manure remains in unsightly 

 heaps in his barn-yard. He harnesses his horses, and 

 fastens them to the plow, which is found in the field 

 where he turned his last furrow the summer before. 

 " In one short hour" the decayed wood-work is torn 

 from the castings. A new plow must be purchased, 

 or the old one repaired. Either will take time. The 

 same is ^true 'in respect to all his farm implements. 

 Now, when he should^be sowing and planting, every- 

 thing else must be done — cleaning seed, fencing, cart- 

 ing manure, hauling grain to market and wood to 

 the house, purchasing and repairing tools, &c. When 



