60 THE DAIRY OF THE FARM. 



cutter, and mixed with hay and straw-chaff. The butter 

 was made twice a week, and was good in flavour, but 

 crumbled. In the spring I was able to add rape to the 

 above food, the butter immediately changed to a good 

 texture, and improved in flavour ; this change I attribute 

 to the oily nature of the rape plant. To this it may be 

 added that there are many testimonies to the fact that 

 pulping roots before giving them to cows does tend to dissi- 

 pate their disagreeable aroma, and so to insure good milk. 



No. 10 recommends the preventive system it is better 

 than the curative. If cows eat old and decayed grass in the 

 meadows you cannot have good butter; if they get at 

 strong- scented herbs the butter will partake of the smell ; 

 if the cream is mismanaged before and during churning, 

 you must not expect pleasant butter ; if your cows are too 

 stale milked, the butter will be rancid. If cleanliness and 

 attention to the diet of the cows be looked to, cases of 

 failure will be very rare. 



No. 11 asserts that turnip-milk will not keep so long as 

 grass-milk, but gets rancid ; and this is increased by the 

 practice of keeping the churn near the fire in winter, which 

 is sometimes done. 



No. 12 says : When the cream is in the churn, and the 

 proper temperature gained (57), I put in a little chloride 

 of lime mixed in a little water. Of course the quantity 

 depends upon its pureness, and also upon the degree of 

 taint. I put as much as will lie upon a sixpence to three 

 gallons. One or two trials will ascertain the proper quan- 

 tity. Too much gives a disagreeable flavour, a little im- 

 proves it and gives a sweet nutty taste. 



No. 13 has given his milch cows for fifty years turnips 

 regularly in the winter, and both milk and butter have 



