362 QUARTERLY JOURNAL. 



that after the butter had come, instead of moving the paddles slower 

 to allow it to gather, they continued the same quick movement, 

 keeping up and even raising the temperature till it meked, or went 

 back, as one of my women told me. Hence you perceive the ne- 

 cessity of close attention in churning. Beginning with a good velo- 

 city, and continuing the same motion till a little pressure is felt on the 

 handle, which signifies the approach to butter ; and then decrease 

 the motion gradually till the butter begins to gather or break, when 

 a few turns backward and foward will end the process. Now if the 

 cream was good and sweet, churned properly, and has come in 15 

 or 20 minutes, I will warrant good butter so far. But it is as often 

 spoiled after taken from the churn, as before. 



The best temperature for the whole process of the dairy is, as I 

 have before stated, between 50 and 65° ; the latter, perhaps, the 

 best. This winter I brought my milk to the house, and appropriated 

 a closet to it in a room where I have kept the temperature to an ave- 

 rage rate of 60°. The past winter, however, has been very mild, 

 and during some of the warm days I observed the milk turned 

 within twenty-four hours ; during which time I leave the milk to 

 cream. My observations after taking the butter from the churn, and 

 objections, were these : 



First objection : They would leave the butter too long after churn- 

 ing, in the butter-milk. I think, as soon as the vessels for working 

 it can be made ready, it is best to take it out and rinse it off in 

 strained water, and then commence the working : do not let the 

 vessels be too warm — nay cool. 



Second objection : Working by hand, the short scoop paddle being 

 the neatest and the best. Working does not mean paddling it over 

 and over, but means pressure ; and when carefully done, two or 

 three times working over by small parcels, will be quite sufficient ; 

 the best evidence of a sufficient working, however, is the purity of 

 the water with which it is washed : when it runs clear as a bell, 

 then stop. Salt to the taste next, is a safe recommendation ; but I 

 put in half an ounce to every pound, which seems to be best suited 

 to the taste of mtj customers The common Liverpool salt, free from 

 motes and rolled very fine, is the kind I use. I would recommend 

 now a sufficient paddling over to mix the salt well ; and after stand- 

 ing an hour or half hour, cut it in half pound prints, and observe 

 if it be streaky, which is occasioned I think by the salt abstracting 

 the coloring matter of the butler : work over each print by itself, and 

 then if the butter is not fit for any table, I'll give up. 



Yours truly. F. H. 



Baltimore, March 28, 1845. 



