88 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



in, every part of the inside of the firkin must be well rubbed 

 with salt. 



Butter may be' salted by working into it one or two ounces 

 of salt, after the buttermilk has been forced out. The salt 

 should be thoroughly incorporated, and be of the best and 

 purest quality. Dr. Anderson, however, recommends the 

 following preparation, which he has experienced to be much 

 superior, as it not only prevents the butter from becoming in 

 any degree rancid, but also improves its appearance, and im- 

 parts a sweeter and richer taste than could be given by com- 

 mon salt only. For every pound of butter take half an 

 ounce of best common salt, one quarter of an ounce of loaf 

 sugar, and one quarter of an ounce of saltpetre ; beat and 

 blend the whole completely together. Butter thus cured 

 should stand three or four weeks before it is used, that the 

 salts may be well mixed. The best butter is made in sum- 

 mer, but by adding a certain portion (which experience 

 alone can determine) of the juice expressed from the pulp of 

 carrots to the cream previously to churning ; winter-made 

 butter will thus acquire the appearance and flavor of butter 

 that has been churned during the prime part of the summer 

 season. 



A writer for the Journal of Humanity gives the following 

 rules for making good butter. ' If you have four or five 

 cows, it is best to churn every day ; and by no means less 

 frequently than every other day. If you cannot churn every 

 day, throw into the cream, when gathered, a handfal of nice 

 salt. In very warm weather, when milk sours soon, put 

 two heaping table-spoonfuls of salt into ev?ry pail of milk 

 before straining. The quantity as well as the quality of the 

 butter is greatly improv^ed by this method. If you have ice, 

 put a small piece in every pan of milk, and also into the 

 cream when you churn. If you have no ice, put the cream 

 into a pail, and hang it in the well twelve hours before churn- 

 ing. In the warm season, cream should be skimmed as soon 

 as it is in the least sour, and in the coldest weather, milk 

 should not stand more than thirty-six or forty-eight hours. 

 The utmost care should be taken to keep every article used 

 in making butter perfectly sweet by frequent and thorough 

 scalding.' 



A writer for the New England Farmer, vol. vi. p. 370, ob- 

 served as follows : 



' It does not, in my opinion, improve the butter to have 

 the milk sour before the cream is gathered ; but at this sea- 



