MILK.] 



C A TT r. K, A \ I > T 1 1 i: I li VMM V.T I KS. 



[milk. 



purpose. Thus, he has often to be in his 

 dairy iluriiiij suiiiiiior, to eeo that the rays of 

 tlio sun are not exercising an umluo iiilluenco 

 upon his milk ; wliilst, by other means, ho en- 

 deavours to preserve it at a temperature that 

 will keep it from receiviiic; such injury as 1 

 an improper amount of heat may cause to it. I 

 The process throui^h whicli milk nuist be made 

 to pass, when intended to produce butter, 

 is not the least dillieult portion of the business 

 of the dairyman. Commencing with new milk, 

 it is by no means necessary that the cream 

 should be separated from it. For the pro- 

 duction of this article, Mr. Milburn observes, 

 that there are two different modes of breaking 

 the globules of cuseine. " One is by the 

 application of a gradually-increasing, gentle 

 heat to the new milk, until the buttery matter 

 floats at the top, which is then taken almost 

 in a boiling state, and churned to butter in a 

 very few minutes. Tlie otlier is, by at once 

 applying the beaters of the churn to the whole 

 mass of the milk ; but, as the bulk of liquid is 

 so much greater in the latter case than the 

 former, and skim-milk is of greater value than 

 butter-milk, this is much less frequently re- 

 sorted to. Generally the cream is allowed time 

 to ferment. This process aids in breaking down 

 the structure of the enveloping skin, in pre- 

 cipitating the caseine of the mass, and thus 

 assisting the maturation and development of 

 the butter. In churning, the heat of the 

 mass rises from 5*^ to 10*^ ; and, in very 

 cold weather, it is sometimes necessary to 

 pour in boiling-water, in order to attain the 

 necessary heat. This heat is also indispensable 

 in separating tlie cream. At a temperature 

 nearly freezing, it will rise with difficulty. 

 Perhaps the most regular and healthy tem- 

 perature is 55° ; but, so rapidly does it rise at 

 76° or 77°, as to require great skill and atten- 

 tion to prevent the whole mass becoming sour. 

 At the first-named temperature it will be 

 perfectly raised in twenty-four hours ; but in 

 the latter state of the temperature it will be 

 complete in ten or twelve hours. As tlie 

 globules have to rise by specific gravity chiefly, 

 it is desirable that the milk should be dis- 

 posed in shallow dishes. Glass is clean and 

 beautiful, and porcelain is fashionable ; but 

 lead is the old-fashioned and useful medium ; 

 it retains the heat of the hot water from the 



scalding process in winter, and slowly conducts 

 the heat after the cooling from evaporatitin in 

 sumnuT. The desirable temperature in churn- 

 ing cream ia 54° to 55° — a degree of heat 

 preservablo only in summer by early churning, 

 and in winter by raising tiie temperature 

 with boiling-water, and healing the cream at 

 tho fire before placing it in the cluirn, or by 

 adding boiling-water to tho ma.ss in tho 

 churn." 



Having noticed several of the different kinds 

 of matter which milk contains, we must not 

 overlook the smell or aroma which it some- 

 times emits, in accordance with the kind of 

 food consumed by the cow. It is generally 

 supposed that this animal feeds on buttercups, 

 and that these must necessarily taint the 

 butter with some degree of their natuni.' 

 bitterness. The cow, however, in every possi- 

 ble way, does its best to avoid the buttercup, 

 which is a nauseous, bitter herb ; and, in walk- 

 ing through pastures as bare as possible, it is 

 left in all its luxuriance. "We have frequently 

 watched cows tearing away the grass round a 

 buttercup plant {lianunculus hulhosus), and 

 leaving it untouched, with every particle of 

 grass cropped close round it. Indeed, pastures 

 may be seen apparently most luxuriant, but, 

 on a nicer inspection, there is nothing but 

 buttercups left. Farmers like to see butter- 

 cups, because they prefer good, sound, dry, old 

 pastures, and the remainder of the herbage is 

 generally good. But cows avoid them as 

 much as possible. Along the valley of the 

 Trent this plant remains untouched by cattle; 

 and, during the mouth of May, field after field 

 may be seen sheeted with its living gold. 

 AV^e do not think cattle reject it on account of 

 its bitter character. Cows eat many bitter 

 and disagreeable plants with avidity. There 

 is a plant, called the bog-bane or buck-bean, 

 which grows in marshy places, having a taste 

 intensely bitter. In spring we have frequently 

 not'ced that the cattle tear up every particle 

 as fast as it springs ; indeed, it is eaten so 

 fast that they never allow it to flower. There 

 is another plant which is eaten with avidity 

 by cattle, the flavour of which is very dis- 

 agreeable — the broad-leaved garlic {A. itrsi- 

 num). In some parts of the valley of the Trent 

 this plant grows profusely, and flowers about 

 the end of May, or beginning of June. At 



677 



