28 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



of the chlorides of calcium and magnesium, and the sulphates 

 of soda and magnesia, which all brines in part at least con- 

 tain, must injure the sweet taste of the butter in particular, 

 if present beyond mere traces ; to exclude them either entirely, 

 or to reduce them to a harmless fraction, has been the object of 

 our dairy salt-men, at least in some centres of that branch of 

 industry — New York Onondaga works, for instance. 



A salt of a decided alkaline reaction, caused by a too liberal 

 use of slacked lime for the exclusion of iron — in the interest of 

 a fair white color — or those qualities which contain larger quan- 

 tities of the carbonates of lime and magnesia, are very objection- 

 able. They cannot act otherwise but bring on a decomposition 

 of some of the neutral fatty compounds, of which the butter is 

 mainly composed, and which a good cheese to a varying propor- 

 tion contains. This decomposition itself becomes manifest by a 

 so-called rancid taste and an objectionable odor, and is due to 

 the liberation of some of the volatile fatty acids, as butyric acid, 

 etc. The presence of slacked lime in substance in any kind of 

 salt, be it ever so small, renders that salt not only unfit for dairy 

 use, but also for meat-packing. Our home-made dairy salt is 

 manufactured from the coarse (or solar) and from the common 

 fine salt ; if made from the former kind, it must be ground finer, 

 for both ought to be in such a state of division as to be readily 

 dissolved when worked into the butter or the curd ; both kinds 

 ought to be used by iveig-Iits, and not by measures. The English, 

 Ashton's brand, is somewhat more bulky than both of our home 

 products, and that portion of our home product which has been 

 obtained from boiled salt is again lighter than that produced 

 from solar salt ; in composition there need to be scarcely any 

 difference if made with equal care. The quantity of dairy salt 

 which ought to be used in salting butter and cheese depends 

 somewhat on the amount of moisture retained by either of them 

 when ready for salting ; to have a fulli/ saturated solution of 

 salt left is the real object. Well endorsed quantities are one 

 ounce of the best dairy salt to every one pound of butter, and 

 one pound of it for every one hundred pounds of curd. 



Whilst I have thus far spoken of the liability of spoiling an 

 otherwise well prepared butter, or a good curd mass by adding an 

 inferior salt, etc., I need scarcely to add, that I do not entertain 

 in the slightest degree the opinion, that the best salt will ulti- 



