1867. 



ICEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



75 



MAKENO BUTTER IN WINTER. 



ANY families 

 keep two or 

 three cows, and 

 depend upon 

 them for a sup- 

 ply of butter 

 through the 

 year^ In large 

 dairies, also, 

 there are always 

 cows coming 

 in late that give 

 milk thro' the 

 winter, which 

 ^^P^^?^fe' must be made into 

 butter, or lost, as 

 theie is no sale for the 

 nnlk in districts remote 

 fiom large villages or 

 -I towns. 



A dairyman in Ver- 

 mont informs us that he is entii'ely successful 

 in making butter in the summer, but finds the 

 process a difficult one in the winter ; indeed, 

 he says he frequently fails to get good butter 

 in winter churning. 



As we rarely have any trouble in getting ex- 

 cellent butter between the first of November 

 and the first of May, and as several inquiries 

 have been made as to the process pursued in 

 making it, we give below a twenty years' prac- 

 tice of the 



Rviles of Making Excellent "Winter Butter. 



1. Good cows and clean milk. The milk 

 should have no taint of the stall. All pure 

 cream may be alike, but all cows do not give 

 the same amount of cream in the same amount 

 of milk. Both quantity and quality of milk 

 are affected by the breed. A Devon cow has 

 been known to yield one pound of butter from 

 9| quarts of milk ; an Ayrshire cow from 9^ 

 (juarts, and an Alder ney cow from four quarts. 

 So " the individual ybnw and constitution of 

 the cow cause both the yield and richness of 

 the milk to vary much." Its quantity depends 

 upon the distance from the time of calving, and 

 its quality upon the nature of the soil in which 

 the plants grow upon which the cows feed. It 

 is richer in cows that are in good condition, 

 and in dry seasons. 



2 Strain the milk so that it will stand from 

 two to three inches in depth. No absolute 



tests have been made on this point. A few 

 trials will satisfy any one whether a greater or 

 less depth would be better. 



3. Temperature. This is the test and touch- 

 stone in butter-making. Without a strict re- 

 gard to temperature, the observance of all the 

 other rules will be of little consequence. The 

 milk should stand in a perfectly clean, airy 

 place, and where the temperature will remain, 

 evenly, at about 60° Fahrenheit. Where a 

 cellar affords that degree of warmth, and is 

 free from dwst, it will be an excellent place. 

 If this is not at hand, some pantry, or closet, 

 in the centre of the house, where it will get 

 warmth from the chimney, and is not suddenly 

 affected by external variations, will be found 

 favorable. 



4. In an even temperature of about 60°, the 

 cream will usually rise in from 36 to 48 hours. 

 If a lower temperature prevails a part of the 

 time, it will take longer. A little close obser- 

 vation will show when the milk ought to be 

 skimmed, without regard to time. On push- 

 ing the cream a little from the side of the pan 

 the milk may be plainly seen. If it looks blue 

 and thin, it is time to take the cream. If 

 white and thick, it is evidence that the cream 

 has not all risen. 



Every time the pans are skimmed, a little 

 salt should be thrown into the pot with the 

 cream, and the whole stirred together. If this 

 is not done, the milk, — which it is impossible 

 to prevent going into the pot with the cream, — 

 will separate from the cream, turn bitter, and 

 spoil the whole. This is quite often the cause 

 of bad butter. When the cream is turned into 

 the churn it should be all alike — a homogene- 

 ous mass ; no whey found at the bottom of the 

 pot. So if a single pan stands too long, until 

 the milk turns bitter and taints the cream, that 

 will in turn taint aU that is mingled with it. 



5. Keep the cream where the milk is kept, 

 and at the same temperature. 



6. Churn often. Where dairying is a busi- 

 ness, the rule is to churn every morning. In 

 a small way, we cannot do so, perhaps not 

 oftener than once a week, but where the cream 

 is salted and kept as stated in rule 4, it will be 

 sweet at the end of seven days. Still we 

 should advise churning whenever there is cream 

 for six or eight pounds of butter. 



7. In churning, bring everything to the same 

 temperature, about 62° — cream, churn, and 



