198 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 



Manufacture of Navy Butter for Foreign Stations. 



The manufacture of butter for the navy of the 

 United States on foreign stations, requiring 60,- 

 000 lbs. annually, having been brought to the 

 notice of the Executive Committee of the New 

 York State Agricultural Society, they deem it of 

 sufficient importance to our dairymen to investi- 

 gate the subject. In the proposals issued by the 

 bureau of provisions and clothing of the navy de- 

 partment, in describing the quality of butter to 

 be delivered, it is said, " the butter must be of 

 the description, quality, and manufacture of the 

 present navy butter, made in the mode of ' Irish 

 rose butter.^ The milk must be thoroughly 

 worked out, and the butter cleansed of all im- 

 purities, and extraneous substances, and be put 

 up in seasoned, white-oak firkins, containing 

 about 80 lbs. each, well and strongly hooped, so 

 as to be perfectly air and pickle tight. Persons 

 offering proposals are required to produce satis- 

 factory evidence that their butter will stand the 

 test of tropical climates, and preserve their sweet 

 and wholesome qualities for years, &c." 



On inquiry, it was ascertained that the butter, 

 which has been furnished under this opntract, has 

 usually been what is called Orange county butter; 

 and the gentleman who has special charge of this 

 department is of opinion that no butter made out 

 of Orange county w'lW resist the action of tropical 

 climates, and preserve its qualities for years. — 

 From the statement in the proposals that the but- 

 ter was to be made " in the mode of Irish rose 

 butter,'^ it was deemed important to ascertain how 

 Irish rose butter was made (if there was any 

 such butter,) of which the committee were entire- 

 ly uninformedv The secretary opened a cor- 

 respondence with gentlemen in Liverpool and 

 Ireland in relation to this subject, and a portion 

 of the result of the correspondence is hereunto 

 annexed. 



The question, whether all the butter to be used 

 on distant foreign voyages^ and on foreign stations, 

 by the military and commercial marine, must be 

 made in the county of Orange, becomes more 

 and more important, as our commerce annually 

 extends. It is doubtless true that the soil and 

 climate have an influence upon the qualiiy of the 

 butter. The grasses in particular localities are 

 better adapted to the production of a superior 

 article than in others; but it has been supposed 

 that the region peculiarly adapted to the production 

 of good butter in this state, instead of being con- 

 fined to a single county, extends to quite a num- 

 ber of counties; and it is not believed that there 

 is any such peculiarity connected with Orange 

 county as to give it pre-eminence over other 

 counties in the Catskill Mountain range, and some 

 other localities in the state. 



It has been the object of the society to ascer- 

 tain what localities are best adapted to the dairy, 

 and for that purpose liberal premiums have been 



offered, requiring a minute and careful detail of 

 all the circumstances connected with the soil, 

 climate, water, grasses, &c., so that it might be 

 ascertained what locality is best suited to the 

 dairy; and it is hoped that such results will be 

 arrived at as will reasonably demonstrate all that 

 is desired. 



In the geological survey of this state, particu- 

 lar attention was given to this subject, by one 

 of the geologists. Professor Mather, of the first ge- 

 ological district, which included the counties of 

 Washington, Saratoga, Schenectady, Scoharie, 

 and Delaware, and all east and south of this line 

 in the state. In speaking of the agricultural 

 character of the Catskill division, he says : 



"This country is admirably adapted for gra- 

 zing, both for cattle and sheep, and the fine sweet 

 grass and cold springs, offer as great facilities 

 for making excellent butter as the world affords. 

 A large proportion of the butter sold under the 

 name of Goshen butter, which is celebrated for its 

 superior qualities, is made in the mountainous 

 region oi Delaware, Sullivan, Ulster, and Greene 

 counties.^'' 



There are several other counties in this state, 

 where butter of the very best quality is made, 

 which has stood the test of tropical climates, and 

 some of the butter from these counties commands 

 as high prices as any in our markets. From 

 their geological character we should expect this. 

 There can be no doubt that the butter from a 

 great number of localities in the state will prove 

 equally serviceable as from any of the counties 

 of the Catskill Mountain range, if the same at- 

 tention is given to its manufacture as is given by 

 the best Orange Co. dairy women, and reference 

 is made to the extracts from letters from several 

 butter dealers in New York, whi^h clearly estab- 

 lish this. 



From the county of Chenango, a contract was 

 made, in 1847, by way of experiment merely, 

 for ten thousand pounds for the use of the navy. 

 The butter under this contract has been delivered 

 and inspected, and the gentleman who inspects 

 butter for the navy, on examining and inspecting 

 this lot, speaks of it " as excellent butter for 

 Northern New York butter, but also speaks of the 

 inability of any butter to stand the test of foreign 

 climates and time, that was not made in Orange 

 county.''^ This is the opinion fully entertained, 

 we are assured, by all the gentlemen of the navy 

 department who have charge of this bureau. It 

 is of vital importance that measures be taken to 

 correct this error, if error it be, as the opinion 

 is honestly entertained. 



By the contract which is made for the manu- 

 facture and delivery of the butter for the navy, 

 it is provided that it "shall be made according 

 to the most approved Irish method ; the milk to 

 be thoroughly worked out and the butter cleansed 

 of all impurities, &c." Not a word in the con- 



