1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



15 



milking of the cow to the packing of the butter. 

 All the utensils must be sweet and free from any 

 taint or smell. 



Second: The milk must be immediately strain- 

 ed, on coming from the cow, into pans, and set 

 for the cream to rise, as with some cows a sepa- 

 ration commences even during the process of 

 milking. 



Third : The cream should be freed from milk 

 and frequently stirred, particularly when addi- 

 tions are made, and a little salt added to keep it 

 from curdling. In summer the cream must be 

 churned as often as every other day. In winter 

 it may stand for several days, if kept in a low 

 temperature, say from 45 to .50° Fahrenheit. 



To make the cream rise more perfectly, the 

 temperature should be at 60°. A temperature 

 below 35° will prevent the cream from separa- 

 ting or rising in any considerable quantity. The 

 elevation of the temperature to 55° will cause 

 the cream to rise in 30 hours ; at 60°, in 24 

 hours ; at 80°, in 12 or 15 hours. 



Much depends upon the temperature of the 

 cream when the churning is commenced. We 

 found, from repeated experiments, that the cream, 

 when churning is commenced, should not be 

 under 55°. It will rise in churning from 5 to 

 10 degrees. In winter this temperature can 

 easily be attained. In summer it cannot be at- 

 tained without the aid of ice, or very cold well 

 water. In Pennsylvania spring-houses are much 

 used, where a constant stream of cool spring wa- 

 ter passes through for .the purpose of regulating 

 the temperature. 



For milk-pans we prefered tin, of the ordinary 

 size, holding about six quarts, which were about 

 three-fourths filled, which gave a depth of about 

 4 inches of milk. We tried broad shallow pans 

 with the milk only about an inch deep, supposing 

 the greater the surface exposed the greater the 

 quantity of cream would rise, but such was not 

 the fact. 



The greatest quantity of cream from the least 

 quantity of milk we ever obtained was by means 

 of a water-bath, or double pans, as follows : — 

 The pan into which the milk was strained, was 

 four inches deep and flaring. Another made six 

 inches deep and nearly straight in the sides and 

 just large enough at the top to receive and em- 

 brace the upper pan, within half an inch of the 

 top, and it should fit tight, so that little if any of 

 the steam will escape. A small tube was solder- 

 ed near the top of the under pan for the admis- 

 sion of hot water, and a small hole was made on 

 the opposite side for the escape of air while pour- 

 ing in the hot water. The first I had made was 

 soldered together at the top, but we found it diffi- 

 cult to wash and dry ; being separate, they can 

 be washed and dried without difficulty. 



The milk was strained into the upper pan and 

 left at rest for 12 hours ; then the same quantity 

 of boiling water was introduced into the under 



pan and suffered to stand 12 hours longer, when 

 the cream was found perfectly separated and ot 

 such consistence that the whole might be lifted 

 off by the finger and thumb. 



The cream was churned immediately after 

 skimming at a temperature of 58°. In this man- 

 ner first quality of rich yellow butter was obtain- 

 ed in 15 minutes, in the month of March. Un- 

 der the ordinary treatment, much less butter 

 would have been obtained, and of a white color, 

 insipid, without flavor and unfit for the table. — 

 Besides it is a long and tedious operation to con- 

 vert the cream into butter, while in the former 

 process it occupies but a few moments. 



Churning the milk is a much more laborious 

 method, from the difficulty of keeping in motion 

 such large quantities of fluid ; but in this way it 

 is said that a larger quantity of butter is obtained, 

 and of a more delicate flavor. 



The rising of the cream and churning is but a 

 portion of the process for making good butter. 

 There is some skill or art required in working it 

 which cannot be described ; buf suffice to say, it 

 is best done with a bowl and ladle, in a peculiar 

 manner, to press out the milk — for unless the 

 milk is thoroughl)^ separated it is needless to ex- 

 pect good Initter that will keep sweet any length 

 of time. If not properly worked, and the milk 

 thoroughly extracted, it is apt to be soft, spongy, 

 or oily. In some dairies the hand is used instead 

 of the ladle, but we protest against that, as the 

 heat of the hand is injurious. In others the but- 

 ter is washed with pure cold water as long as the 

 water is rendered milky. We preferred not to 

 wash it, believing that much of the aroma or high 

 flavor was carried off by the water. 



Albany, Dec, 1847. C. N. Bement. 



Seedling Potatoes. 



In the fall of 1846 I saved a small quantity of 

 seed from the balls of the Mercer potato, which 

 I sowed last spring, with the expectation of rais- 

 ing some new varieties of the potato. Owing 

 to the early drouth, and some other untoward 

 circumstances, the plants did not do well ; and 

 when I gathered them, (about the middle of Oc- 

 tober,) I found a small quantity of very small 

 potatoes, most of them very much resembling the 

 Mercers ; and, what was quite unexpected, sev- 

 eral of them were rotten, and several others de- 

 cayed soon afterwards. 



If this experiment proves anything, it proves 

 ,the imperfection of the seed as well as of the tii- 

 her ; or, at least, that fruit produced from the 

 seed, i. e. seedling potatoes, are liable to rot as 

 well as old varieties. I am therefore inclined 

 to abandon all theories on the subject of the po- 

 tato malady, except that which ascribes it to a 

 kind of epidemic ; or, as some have called it, the 

 " Potato Cholera." H. 



Fairport, Nov., 1847. 



