THE GENESEE FARMER. 



307 



WHY IS IT SOI 



IiT this city of fifty thousand inhahitants, situa- 

 ted in the midst of one of the most rich and fertile 

 eounties upon which the sun ever shown, peopled 

 by a thriving, industrious and intelligent popula- 

 tion devoted to the usual agricultural pursuits, it is 

 a matter of surprise and regret that after searching 

 from store to store it is next to impossible to obtain 

 a plate of good table butter. We hazzard nothing 

 in saying that fifteen out of every twenty pounds 

 of butter brought to this market from the sur- 

 rounding country, are only fit for cooking purposes, 

 and could not be kept sweet and palatable four 

 weeks in any place short of an ice-house. We are 

 time and again constrained to ask "why is this so?" 

 Go with us into the surrounding country, and on 

 ©very hand you will observe fine herds of sleek, 

 healthy cows, luxurating in fresh, rich pastures of 

 mixed grasses and clover, as good as can be desired ; 

 while, if we visit the good farm-house which we 

 are this moment passing, our eyes will be greeted 

 with the sight of sweet, clean milk pails, in close 

 ©ompanionship with long, shining rows of well- 

 scalded and sunned milk pans, all proper utensils 

 for the production of good butter. In the cellar 

 and the milk-house too, we shall find clean shelves, 

 and cool, fresh air, just what is most desirable for 

 the raising of sweet cream, of which the good 

 house- wife has an abundance for the production of 

 large quantities of rich, golden-hued butter. The 

 churn is unexceptionable, whether it be "ther- 

 mometer," "cylinder," or the good old "oak with 

 dasher." The good house-wife insists that she can 

 overcome our prejudices by the production of a 

 loaf of her unexceptionable bread, and a plate of 

 her very best butter made to " keep all winter for 

 family use." We deliberately cut our knife through 

 the dainty roll, and all along the opening there 

 starts out little drops, as of perspiration. Spread- 

 ing it on the bread, our face is saluted with a 

 shower like the wind-driven spray from the "Falls 

 of the Genesee." As we smooth down the sur- 

 face, little hard particles appear, some of which are 

 readily pressed down, while other and the larger 

 ones remain unbroken on the fair face of "our 

 bread and butter." The taste, too, is not what we 

 desire, being that long-to-be-remembered flavor 

 known as slightly rancid. We express our surprise 

 and disappointment. 



" Goodness gracious," exclaims our excited host, 

 *' I should like to know what you call good butter. 

 I have made it these twenty years, and rather think 

 I ought to know what good butter is, and how to 

 make it. What fault can you find with this sam- 

 ple ?" 



"To be frank, let me tell you there remains large 

 quantities of buttermilk and water in minute par- 



ticles through the whole mass of this butter ; thwj 

 the salt you used was lumpy, and you did not pul- 

 verize it, so many of the lumps remain in your 

 butter. Standing only a few weeks, the milk and 

 water has become sour, and communicated its ran- 

 cidity to the butter, which is every day growing 

 ' no better very fast,' and wiU very soon be unfit 

 for use. Hundreds of samples which we have ex- 

 amined are obnoxious to the same faults. And 

 these are the best samples, — ' choice table butter.' 

 And yours, my good woman, is by no means a soli- 

 tary case ; it is the rule and not the exception. It 

 is not possible for you to have good, solid, sweet 

 buttter, by your method of manufacture. It is as 

 you often remark of people, well cut out but spoiled 

 in the finishing." 



" Perhaps, as you are so difiicult to suit, you will 

 not object to instruct me in the proper method of 

 working and salting butter, as you gentlemen are 

 always well posted in work you never do." 



" Certainly ; shall give you our ideas with pleas- 

 ure ; and what is more, if you will ' work by our 

 rule,' you will be sure of good butter. After the 

 butter has come, and has been well gathered in the 

 churn, if it is not cool enough to be somewhat hard, 

 put a pail of cold water in the churn, and let it 

 stand an hour. Take it out with a ladle into a 

 large shallow bowl, pressing out all the milk and 

 water you can. Wash it once or twice by stirring 

 it around in cold water, which pour off and then 

 salt with fine, pure salt. Many prefer the ' Ash- 

 ton,' but we believe good ' Onondaga' as pure and 

 reliable as any in the world ; about one ounce to 

 the pound will be sufficient, which should be well 

 worked into the mass. Let it stand now two or 

 three hours in a cool cellar, and then work it over 

 well again, after which give it another cooling and 

 another rest ; then repeat the working. It is pre- 

 ferable to work but little at a time, as long work- 

 ing often injures the consistence of the butter, mak- 

 ing it soft, or to express it more understandingly, 

 salvy. To have good butter, all the brine must be 

 worked out, leaving only the salted butter; all 

 working after this is an injury. Butter should be 

 packed at the third working. Try our method 

 and if you do not succeed drop us a line." 



To Peevent Sows Killing theie Young. — A 

 correspondent of the Country Gentleman accom- 

 plishes this object by making the sows drunh with 

 hard cider whenever they are irritated. Sows 

 generally kill their young by unconsciously lying 

 on them and squeezing them up against the outside 

 of the pen. The best remedy we have ever seen 

 against this is to make a framework of slats about 

 a foot high all around the inside of the pen and 

 about a foot from the outside'. Space should be 

 left between the slats wide enough for the young 

 pigs to get through. 



