DAIRY. 



DAIRY. 



and has a sound and dry rind. He has one set j 

 of extra shelves, which are slipped in close 

 above the cheeses before turned, on which j 

 shelf the cheeses lay when turned over ; the 

 others are then liberated for another rack, and 

 so on through the room. By the aid of these 

 six extra shelves, the cheeses in turning need 

 not fall but a trifle, if any." 



The qualities of the butter generally produced 

 by the New England dairies are even more 

 defective than those of the cheese. These de- 

 fects are chiefly owing to causes easily reme- 

 died, by observing perfect ventilation and 

 cleanliness in the milk-room and all its uten- 

 sils, taking the cream from the milk whilst this 

 is still fresh, and churning soon after the skim- 

 ming. The working is a matter of primary 

 importance, and is too often but half done. 

 The operation should be continued till every 

 trace of the buttermilk is removed, since, if 

 any of this be left, the butter will quickly ac- 

 quire a rancid or otherwise unpleasant flavour. 

 The salting also is of much consequence. In 

 general, too much salt is added, and that not 

 always of the very best kind for the purpose. 

 Much salt destroys the delicacy of fine butter. 

 The additions of saltpetre and sugar, often made 

 in New England dairies, is sanctioned by the 

 practice in Scotland and other countries. See 

 BUTTER; The noted richness and superior fla- 

 vour of much of the Pennsylvania butter, found 

 in the Philadelphia market, is chiefly to be as- 

 cribed to the fine sweet and clean spring-houses 

 so common in that section of the United States, 

 together with good old pasture fields, and great 

 attention to working. This last, when well 

 done, renders very little salt necessary, and 

 hence the fine and delicate flavour of the butter 

 can be perceived. The processes followed in 

 the dairy districts in England are well worth 

 the attention of persons interested in this sub- 

 ject. Some of these are referred to under the 

 heads of BUTTER and CHEESE. 



Mr. Colman, in his able Reports upon the 

 Agriculture of Massachusetts, has furnished 

 some highly interesting details in regard to 

 dairy affairs in the Eastern States. Treating 

 of the interests of Berkshire county, the dairy 

 products of many farms in which is not sur- 

 passed by any accounts of other parts of our 

 country, or of foreign countries, which he had 

 been able to obtain, he observes : " The dairy 

 business has always been a great business. 

 For a time it gave way to the raising of fine 

 wool, when the prices of that staple were high. 

 Since the abatement of the demand for wool 

 with that caprice for which mankind always 

 have been, and there is reason to think always 

 will be remarkable, many farmers have sacri- 

 ficed their flocks ; and are now giving their 

 exclusive attention to the dairy husbandry 

 These changes, in matters so important as the 

 dairy or the sheep husbandry, involving as they 

 do a considerable investment of capital, anc 

 many expensive fixtures, cannot be suddenly 

 or frequently made without risk of serious loss 

 and disadvantage." 



Mr. Colman gives the following statements 

 in relation to dairy products, expenses, ne 

 profits, &c. 



A farmer residing about twenty-five miles 



from the Hudson, who with a stock of eighteen 

 cows, turned his attention to making butter 

 for the New York market, to which it was sent 

 every week, sold in one year 2400 Ibs. of but- 

 ;er, at 23 cts. per Ib. With the refuse milk he 

 fed seventeen spring pigs until October, when 



heir average weight was 177 Ibs. each. Half 

 of this pork, say 88 Ibs. was to be credited to 

 the cow. Reckoning the pork at $10 per 100 



bs. (a much higher price, however, than it 

 will now bear), the account would stand thus: 



Cow, Cr. 

 133 Ibs. of butter, at 523 cts. 

 Pork .--- 



- $30 59 



- 8 00 



38 59 

 Cow, Dr. 



Wintering $12 00 



Pasturing - - - - - - 5 00| 



Salt - 85 



Interest on -5*25, at 10 per cent., risks in- 



eluded 2 50 19 75 



Annual profits of a cow - ... $ 18 84 

 This calculation is made without including 

 any extra feed for the cow, and upon the sup- 

 position that the butter and milk used by the 

 family pays for the attendance. The profit 

 here allowed, Mr. Colman thinks, less than 

 that actually derived. He mentions another 

 dairy, in which nine cows yielded 1540 Ibs. of 

 butter per annum, and 300 Ibs. of cheese ; and 

 a third, where twenty cows produced of butter, 

 500 Ibs. ; and of new milk cheese, 4000 Ibs. 



In the neighbourhood where these dairies are 

 found, two acres of land are deemed sullii-irnt 

 for pasturing a cow or fattening a steer. 

 Twenty head of cattle, made up of cows and 

 three year old steers, were fattened upon thirty 

 acres of land. 



In the town or township of Otis, twenty cows 

 gave 5000 Ibs. of new-milk cheese, besides ave- 

 raging 25 Ibs. of butter each, for the family, 

 which also used 600 Ibs. of cheese. The credit 

 and debtor account in this dairy may be reck- 

 oned thus : 



Cow, Cr. 



280 Ibs. cheese, at 8 cts. per Ib. - 

 25 Ibs. butter, at 20 cts. - 



Calf 



Pork, 26 Ibs. at 6 cts. - 



- - * 22 40 



- 5 00 



- 4 00 



- - 1 56 



3296 

 Cow, Dr. 

 Wintering f!2 00 



Pasturing - - - - - -500 



Interest on cost of cow, $15, at 10 per cent, 



including risks - - - 1 50 



Labour and attendance - - - . - 2 16 20 66 



Balance in favour of cow $12 '24 



In Sandisfield, the average yield of a cow 

 in ordinary seasons is rated at 250 Ibs. of 

 cheese, with common keeping. By extra keep- 

 ing, the quantity is increased to 350 or 400 Ibs. 

 The quantity of butter in addition to the new 

 milk cheese, is supposed to be 40 or 50 Ibs. 

 .each cow. The amount of cheese made in 

 this township, in 1837, was estimated by com- 

 petent authority, at 300,000 Ibs. The popula- 

 tion is 1493. 



"Another farmer in the same neighbourhood, 

 with a dairy of fifteen cows, states the average 

 product of a cow, if she raises her calf, at 250 

 Ibs. ; if otherwise, 300 Ibs. ; and 25 Ibs. butter, 

 also, from each cow. Four hogs may be kept to 

 twenty cows. In this way, weighing 100 Ibs. in 



