336 



The Dairy. 



Vol. ni. 



particular, or he may soon lose liis character 

 at market. 



After the butter has been beaten up and 

 cleared from the milk, as before directed, it 

 is ready for being- salted. Let the vessel into 

 which it is to be put, after beinfj rendered as 

 clean and sweet as possible, be rubbed all 

 over in the inside with common salt, and let 

 a little melted butter be run into the cavity 

 between the bottom and the sides at their 

 joining all round, so as to fill it and make it 

 every where flush with the bottom and sides. 

 It is then fit to receive the butter. 



Common salt is almost the only substance 

 that has been hitherto employed for the pur- 

 pose of preserving butter; but 1 have found, 

 by p.xperience, that the following composition 

 is, in many respects, preferable to it, as it not 

 only preserves the butter more effectually 

 from any taint of rancidity, but makes it also 

 look better, and taste sweeter, richer, and 

 more marrowy, than if the same butter had 

 been cured with common salt alone. I have 

 frequently made comparative trials with the 

 same butter, and always found the difference 

 much greater than could well be conceived. 

 The composition is as follows: 



Take of sugar one part, of nitre one part, 

 and of the bpst Spanish great salt, (or of 

 Doctor Sioediaur^s best salt, which is still 

 better than the former, being cleaner, [or 

 best rock salt,]) tioo parts. Beat the whole 

 into a fine powder, mix them well together, 

 and put them by for use. 

 Of this composition one ounce should be 



put to every sixteen ounces of butter ;* mix 



* It is of eroat consequence that every process, which 

 rrquires much tliou^jlit or nicety, should be banished, 

 if possible, from all branches of manufacture. On this 

 principle, as some difficulty might arise in proportion- 

 ing the quantity of salt to unequal weights of butter, 

 I should advise that every person who means to adopt 

 this practice at large should begin with providing him- 

 self Willi a steelyard so constructed as that sixteen 

 ounces in the one scale is exactly balanced by one in 

 the other. And that he may be at no loss to provide 

 liimself with this simple apparatus, the following di- 

 rections may be attended to. 



Let him provide two scales of equal weight ; one of 

 them should be of wood, and flat for the butter, no mat- 

 ter what form or materials the other is of; let him 

 then take a slip of deal two inches broad, half an inch 

 thick, and two feet long. Near to each end, and at 

 about half an inch from the same side at each end, 

 make a hole through the board, to which the scales 

 ):nay be fastened by means of a loop of wire; observe, 

 fttaat these two holes should be placed exactly at the 

 r6a,tne distance from the edge. Let him then load the 

 ^w-o scales, one of them with one ounce, and the other 

 witla sixteen, and having dr.-iwn a line pitrallel to what 

 win *]ow appear to be the upper side of tin' beam, at 

 Iialf an inch from the top all along on each side, let 

 him i)ei»rovided with two sliarii [ininted instrtinients, 

 such aa a shoemaker's awl : Let bini then try to find 

 fi point in the new-made line on each side of tiie beam, 

 where, when the beam is allowed to vibrate on his 

 awls placed directly opposite to each other, the two 

 weights balance each other. This iioiiit he will soon 

 <lisc()vcr to h(' much nearer one of tliiM/ndsof the beam 

 thaij the other. 'J'hrougli this point kt him pii-rce a 

 Jiole by means of a round hot iron. Through this 

 Hol« put B piece of thick iron wire, which if supported 



this salt thorouelily witli the butter as soon 

 as it has been freed fi-om the milk, and put it, 

 v;ithout lo.~s of time, down into the vessel pre- 

 pared to receive it, pressing it so close as to 

 leave no air-holes, or any kind of cavities 

 within it. Smooth the surface, and if j'ou 

 expect that it will be above a day or two be- 

 fore you can add more, cover it close up with 

 a piece of clean linen, and above that a piece 

 of wetted parchment, or, for want of that, fine 

 linen that has been dipped in melted butter, 

 that is exactly fitted to the edges of the ves- 

 sel all round, so as to e.xclude the air as much 

 as possible, without the a.ssistance of any wa- 

 tery brine ; when more butter is to be added, 

 these coverings are to be taken off, and the 

 butter applied close above the former, pres.s- 

 ing it down and smoothing it as before, and 

 so on till the vessel be full. When it is quite 

 full, let the two covers be spread over it with 

 the greatest care, and let a little melted but- 

 ter be poured all round the edges, so as to fill 

 up every cranny, and effectually exclude the 

 air. A little salt may be then strewed over 

 the whole, and the cover be firmly fixed down 

 to remain close shut till it be opened for use. 

 If all this be carefully done, the butter may 

 be kept perfectly sound in this climate for 

 many years. How many years I cannot tell ; 

 but 1 have seen it two years old, and in every 

 respect as sweet and sound as when it was 

 only a month old. 



It deserves to be remarked, that butter 

 cured in this manner does not taste well till 

 it has stood at least a fortnight af\er being 

 salted ; but after that period is elapsed, it 

 eats with a rich marrowy taste that no other 

 butter ever acquires; and it tastes so little 

 of salt, that a person who had been accus- 

 tomed to eat butter cured with common salt 

 only, would not imagine it had got one-fourth 

 part of the salt that would be necessary to 

 preserve itf 



at each end will serve as a pivot. The apparatus is 

 now complete. 



And whenever it is afterward.sw.anted, nothingmorc 

 s necessary than to place the butter, whatever ho its 

 weight, into the butter-scale, and then to put as much 

 of the composition into the opposite scale as brings 

 the beam to a balance; and this will in all cases be 

 the-diie propcution of salt for the butter, whatever the 

 weight of that butter may be. 



t 15ut afl''r this butter has been cured in the most 

 perfect manner, it may chance to be niucli debased in 

 its quality by being improperly treated during the time 

 it is using. TIk reforc (d)serve, that, when it is broken 

 lip for use, n small portion should be pared from the 

 surface all over, especially near the edges, in case the 

 air should not have been so entirely ovcluded a> it 

 ought til have been. If it be to be quickly consumed, 

 it may be llien spooned up as it is wanted, without 

 any other precaution than that of keeping it carefully 

 covered iij) so as to exiliide dust. &c , from having ac- 

 ces,5 to it. But if it be to be used very slowly, and if 

 the person to be emploM'd in spooning it up be not 

 very careful, or so indolent as not to be at the trouble 

 of closing it up at each time with the covers, it may 

 happen that the part which is thus longe.xposed to the 

 air may contract a small degree of rancidity. To guard 

 against tliis evil, in these circumstances, when the 



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