374 [Assembly 



American Institute, ? 



Farmers' Club, Jan. 2lst, 1851. \ 



John Bowman, Esq., in the chair. Henry Meigs, Secretary. 

 The Secretary read the following paper prepared by him. 



BUTTER AND CHEESE. 

 [London Farmers' Magazine, Vol. 11, 1845.] 



The Institute is performing its duty by collecting valuable in- 

 formation and then diffusing it. Washington Irving gave a 

 beautiful example of this useful task when he made the Analec- 

 tic Magazine some 30 or 40 years ago under the Latin line, 

 " sparsas colligere flores," to collect the scattered flowers. The 

 Institute already possesses and exercises this power. Its library 

 receives all the most valuable publications of the world relative 

 to its work. (i. e.) The promotion of agriculture, commerce, 

 manufactures and the arts. 



I quote that valuable magazine, the London Farmers', on the 

 making of Cheshire cheese, that we may try their modes together 

 with our own. After the well known precaution as to perfect 

 cleanliness and coolness of the dairy, it adds that a free circula- 

 tion of air and shutting out light as much as may be, by cov- 

 ering windows &c. with wire gauze, line enough to shut out all 

 insects, is important, and particularly that the temperature of the 

 dairy must be maintained as equal as possible. The produce of 

 each milking is set by itself. It should be strained through a 

 brass sieve, fine enough to catch hairs. If any milk is spilled, it 

 must be immediately wiped up, or it will become sour, and so 

 taint the air of the dairy which should be as sweet as a cow^s breath 

 and as clean as a newpinll 



Some persons fancy that by allowing the milk to stand three or 

 four days, it throws up more cream ; this is a mistake. In forty- 

 eight hours, milk will throw up to the surface as much cream as 

 if it stood for a week ; and when we come to speak of the making 

 of butter, we will show that stale, sour cream cannot be made in- 

 to firm, delicate butter. Butter should be handled as little as 



