MAKING AND SALTING OF BUTTER. 83 



to pour such cream into the pig's trough than to intro- 

 duce it into the churn, as it will spoil the whole. A 

 properly leaded stone jar is better than a wooden vessel 

 for keeping cream, because wood is more apt than 

 stone- ware to get mouldy : a slight mould soon com- 

 municates itself to the cream, and of course to the 

 butter. 



A wooden rod must be continually kept in the jar, 

 and every time cream is added, the contents must be 

 stirred from top to bottom with the rod. This is very 

 essential ; for, if neglected, the cream first put in will 

 gradually rise to the top, and so get tainted. Cream 

 ought never to be kept above five days ; but four is 

 still safer for butter that is to be salted. 



If the atmosphere at the time of churning be above 

 fifty -four degrees, one quart of the coldest spring-water 

 to every three gallons of cream, put into the churn at 

 commencing, will be a great advantage, and will injure 

 neither butter nor milk. If there be the slightest 

 cause for suspecting that the butter has suffered from 

 hasty churning in warm weather, it ought to be salted 

 for present use, and not put into the kit with keeping 

 butter. 



Butter, on being taken out of the churn, ought to be 

 instantly washed in spring-water until the water comes 

 off colorless. After this, the sooner it is salted the 

 better. In salting, use the best English salt, — such 

 as is used in the curing of herrings. To three parts 

 of salt add one part of loaf sugar, both finely pounded, 

 and perfectly well mixed. One ounce of this to six- 

 teen ounces of butter is the proper quantity. Let it 

 be thoroughly incorporated with the butter. In clean- 

 ing and salting butter, a stout creaming dish is prefer- 

 able to the hands. 



Kits made of wood are much superior to stone-ware 

 in keeping of butter. The top of the kit ought to be 

 about one fourth narrower than the bottom, and the 

 wood nearly one inch in thickness. A thin-wooded 

 kit is not so favorable for preserving butter. 



