308 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK n. 



Stop churning immediately the butter comes. This can be ascertained 

 by the sound ; if in doubt, look. 



The butter should now be like grains of mustard seed. Pour in a 

 small quantity of cold water (one pint of water to two quarts of cream) 

 to harden the grains, and give a few more turns to the churn gently. 



Draw off the butter-milk, giving plenty of time for draining. Use 

 a straining cloth placed over a hair sieve, so as to prevent any loss, 

 and wash the butter in the churn with plenty of cold water; then 

 draw off the water, and repeat the process until the water comes 

 off quite clear. 



Make a strong brine (2 to 3 Ib. of salt to 1 gallon of water) and pour 

 into the churn through a hair sieve. Rock the churn a few times before 

 drawing off the brine ; take the butter out of the churn, put it on the 

 butter worker, and leave it for a few minutes to drain ; then work gently 

 until all moisture is pressed out. 



N.B. Never touch the butter with your hands. 



Miss Maidment observes that salting with brine is recommended for 

 ordinary fresh butter as reducing the amount of working necessary to 

 complete the process. "It is dependent for its success on the strength 

 of the brine, the size of the granules of butter, and the length of time 

 they are exposed to its action. The saltness of a butter must be 

 regulated to meet the market in which it finds its customers, but a 

 brine made in the proportion of half a pound of salt to one quart of 

 water will usually, with half an hour's exposure, give saltness enough 

 for ordinary customers. The London trade demands an almost 

 saltless butter, for which four minutes' brining will serve. The 

 quantity of brine made must be sufficient to cover the butter. If by 

 over-churning (though this should not occur) the butter has collected 

 into granules of too large a size, brining is rendered useless, and 

 dry salting must be followed, with ^ to ^ oz. per Ib., according to 

 market." 



Dr. Anderson recommends the following preparation as not only 

 preventing the butter from becoming tainted and rancid, but also 

 as improving its colour, while it imparts a sweeter or richer taste than 

 could have been effected by the use of common salt only : 



" Let two parts of the best common salt, and of sugar and saltpetre 

 each one part, be completely blended together by beating, and add one 

 ounce of this mixture to every pound of butter. Incorporate it 

 thoroughly in the mass, and close it up for use. 



" It will be necessary to keep butter, thus prepared, for two or three 

 weeks before it is used, otherwise it will not taste well ; but, if properly 

 cured, according to the above prescription, it will continue so perfectly 

 sweet for three years or more, as not to be distinguished from newly- 

 made salted butter." It is said that in Holland the salt for butter that 

 is intended to be kept is mixed with the milk before it is churned, by 

 which means both its' flavour and preservative qualities are more 

 effectually imparted. 



Before the bu*ter is put into the firkin it should be made as dry as 



