116 SKETCHES OP RURAL AFFAIRS. 



begins, the milk is taken off and allowed to cooL The 

 thick part is then taken off, and this is the celebrated 

 clouted cream of Devonshire ; a substance "which is thicker 

 than our cream, but not so thick as butter. The pro- 

 cess of churning to make this cream into butter, as well 

 as the making up, <fec., are conducted in the way already 

 described. 



In some parts of Holland, and in Scotland and Ire- 

 land, the cream is not separated in butter-making ; but 

 both milk and cream are churned together in large 

 upright churns, the plungers of which are sometimes 

 worked by machinery. The Dutch method is to put 

 the milk into deep jars, in a cool place, keeping each 

 milking separate. As soon as the milk becomes a little 

 sour, the churning takes place. A horse is employed to 

 work the machinery, or it is set in motion by a dog 

 walking in a wheel, which he turns by his own weight. 

 The butter of Holland is celebrated for its excellence, 

 and is considered superior to that of any other country ; 

 but there is no doubt that we might equal the Dutch in 

 this article, if we were as careful in the matter of clean- 

 liness as they are. The care they bestow on their dairy- 

 vessels and milk-houses, and the perfect cleanliness 

 observed in the whole process of milking and butter- 

 making, may seem to be carried to a ridiculous extent; 

 but those who really understand the delicate nature of 

 milk, are well aware that it is impossible to be too par- 

 ticular in these respects, since the least taint of the 

 atmosphere, or the smallest particle of decaying matter 

 accidentally introduced, is sufficient to turn the milk. 

 By an exaggeration of this fact, it is common in country 

 places to speak of the looks of the dairy-maid as having 

 some influence, and to say (if her temper be not very 

 good) that on going into the dairy she will " turn all 

 the milk sour." 



Though less delicate than milk, butter is also acted 

 upon by substances near it, and requires to be kept in 

 Cd clean place, where the air is pure. Every house- 



