308 



The. Dairy. 



Vol. IlL 



never yet, I presume, been ascertained by 

 any experiments that can be relied on. So 

 little nicety has been observed in this respect 

 by practical farmers, even those wlio have a 

 high reputation for making good butter, that 

 few of them ever think of observing any pre- 

 cise rule in this respect with regard to the 

 different portions of their cream, seeing they 

 in general make into butter all the cream 

 they have collected since the former churn- 

 ing, so that the new and the old is all beaten 

 up together; and I can find nothing like a 

 uniform rule established among them as to 

 the time that should intervene between one 

 churning and another, that being usually de- 

 termined by local or accidental circumstances. 

 T am, myself, inclined to believe, that if the 

 cream be carefully kept, and no serous mat- 

 ter allowed to lodge about it, a very great 

 latitude may safely be admitted in this re- 

 spect. How long cream may be thus kept, in 

 our climate, without rendering the butter made 

 from it of a bad quality, I cannot say ; but I can 

 say with certainty, that it may be kept good 

 for a much longer time than is in general 

 suspected, even a 'great many weeks. It is, 

 however, certain, that cream, which has been 

 kept three or four days in summer, is in an 

 excellent condition for being made into but- 

 ter; and I am inclined to believe, that from 

 three days to seven may be found in general 

 to be the best time for keeping cream before 

 churning; though if circumstances make it 

 necessary, a considerable latitude in this re- 

 spect may be allowed. 



If, however, it should chance that any farm- 

 er has such a quantity of cream as might be 

 worth his while to churn once every day, 

 there is nothing to prevent him from doing 

 it. He has only to provide a separate vessel 

 for holding the cream for each day he means 

 it should stand before churning; if three days 

 three vessels, if four days four vessels, and so 

 on. Thus he might churn every day cream 

 of three days' old, or of four, or any other 

 numberof days old, that he might incline. In 

 the same manner, if it were found that the 

 cream of two, of three, or of a greater num- 

 ber of days gathering, was required to make 

 a proper churning, it might be easy so to con- 

 trive it as to churn it every day, as will be 

 obvious to any one who shall think upon the 

 subject. In this way the operation of a dairy 

 may be kept perfectly regular and easy.* 



The vessel in which butter is made, usually 

 called a churn, admits, in the form of it, a 



* Some persons choose to churn the wliolo of the 

 milk without separating any part of the cream. In 

 tins way they obtain a greater quantity of butter, 

 thon!,'h of an inferior quality, liy careful manage- 

 nient, however, especially if a portion of the first- 

 drawn milk be separated, very good butter may be ob- 

 tained; but I think the practice ou many accounts, is 

 not to be recommended. 



considerable diversity. The simplest that I 

 have seen I should prefer as the best, merely 

 because it admits of being better cleaned, and 

 of having the butter more easily separated 

 from the milk than any of the others; this is 

 the old-fashioned, upright churn, having a 

 long handle with a toot to it perforated with 

 holes, for the purpose of beating the cream 

 by being moved upward and downward by 

 hand. But though, for the reasons assigned, 

 I should prefer that form of a churn, other 

 persons may choose that which they like best, 

 as all the improved sorts, under skilful man- 

 agement, will perform the business perfectly 

 well. Indeed, if the cream be prepared as 

 above directed, the process of churning will 

 be so easy, as to render those utensils in 

 general the most commodious which can be 

 most easily filled and emptied. 



In the process of churning, much greater 

 nicety is required than most persons seem 

 to be aware of. A few hasty, irregular strokes 

 may render the whole of the butter of scarcely 

 any value, that, but for this circumstance, 

 would have been of the finest quality. The 

 owner of an extensive dairy, therefore, should 

 be extremely attentive to this circumstance, 

 and should be at great pains to procure a pro- 

 per person for managing this branch of busi- 

 ness. This person ought to be of a cool, 

 phlegmatic temper, sedate disposition and 

 character, and ought never to allow another 

 person, especially those who are young, to 

 touch the churn, without the greatest caution 

 and circumspection. Those who have been 

 used to see cream churned that has not been 

 properly prepared, will think, perhaps, that 

 I this would be severe labor in a large dairy 

 I for one penson ; but nothing is more easy, as 

 j to the bodily labor it requires, than the pro- 

 I cess of butter-making, where the cream has 

 jbeen duly prepared. 



I The butter when made must be immedi- 

 ately separated from the milk, and being put 

 into a clean dish, (the most convenient shape 

 is that of a shallow bowl,) the inside of which, 

 if of wood, should be well rubbed witii com- 

 mon salt to prevent the butter from adhering 

 to it. The butter should be pressed and 

 worked with a flat wooden ladle, or skimming- 

 dish, lia\ ing a .short handle, so as to force out 

 all the milk that was lodged in the cavities 

 of the mass. A considerable degree of 

 strength, as well as of dexterity, is required 

 in this manipulation. The thing wanted is 

 to force out the milk entirely, with as little 

 tawing of the butter as possilile ; for if the 

 milk be not entirely taken away, the butter 

 will intklliby spoil in a short time, and if it 

 be much worked, the butter will become 

 tough and gluey, which greatly debases its 

 quality. This butter is in some places beaten 

 up by the hand, which I consider as an indeli- 



