THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 113 



salt should always be arrived at by weigh- 

 ing both butter and salt so as to secure 

 uniformity. 



The working of the butter should dis- 

 tribute the salt evenly, and bring it in 

 contact with all the particles in the first 

 operation. That point is best determined 

 by the number of revolutions of the 

 worker, or by time. To arrive at the 

 proper time, a number of samples may be 

 taken off at intervals, then placed aside 

 for twenty-four hours and examined. 

 The samples showing streaks or uneven- 

 ness in colour indicate that they have nol 

 been worked long enough. 



The one that does not show unevenness 

 in colour, and that has been on the worker 

 for the shortest time, points out the time 

 necessary. This time varies according to 

 the style and speed of the worker in use, 

 and slightly on the consistency of the 

 butter. It must always be remembered 

 that the salting should be thoroughly 

 done in the first working, and the less 

 working that will bring that about the 

 better for the butter. 



The butter should then be placed in a 

 cool room till the next morning, and then 

 put through the worker for the second 

 time to remove surplus moisture before 

 packing. Between the two workings it 

 is not desirable to set the butter hard, as 

 it then receives a grinding on the worker 



that injures the texture. In packing, the 

 tare of each box should always lie taken 

 — for local trade 56| lbs. should be placed 

 in the box, and 57 lbs. for export trade. 

 The extra weight is to provide for a loss 

 that takes place, and it ensures the turning 

 out of 56 lbs. when it reaches the retailer. 



The butter should be hrmly packed so 

 that no air-holes are left in the butter, 

 nor spaces in the corners or up the sides 

 of the box. A good plan is to strip and 

 examine a box of butter occasionally. 



It is false economy to use inferior 

 parchment paper for lining the butter- 

 boxes. Ihe boxes should be placed in 

 the cool room, and the temperature 

 reduced before sending away to market. 



It is a comparatively easy ma<-ter to 

 make a fair quality of butter under 

 favourable conditions. It is a science to 

 be able to make a choice butter possess- 

 ing good keeping qualities under varying 

 circumstances. The art of butter-making 

 is yet in its progressive state. Our best 

 specialists in the business are still learn- 

 ing something, and they all recognise that 

 much remains to be learned, and as a 

 strictly definite rule cannot be followed 

 in butter-making, each must adapt him- 

 self so as to secure best results under 

 existing local conditions. 



( To he continued.) 



Peas. 



A RATOK " in the Aclveriiser givesan 

 ii interesting account of his obser- 

 vations on various peas cultivated by Mr. 

 A. Wilkinson, Ottawa. The following is 

 extracted : — 



We were first shown near the house 

 some few plants of a beau which is called 

 the Bourbon, and which is a good climber, 

 and was covering some trees to the height 

 of 2() feet or more. This Bourbon beau 

 is almost black in colour, and gives the 

 most luxuriant growth of vines and leaves. 



The Florida Velvet Bean is well known 

 and is a mottled bean covering the ground 

 well. 



An Indian bean called Machikotti is also 

 largely grown. This bean is a luxuriant 

 climber, and has been growing in Natal 



for many years, and was probably intro- 

 duced by the Indians. 



Mr. Wilkinson had at one time a native 

 pea (Imbumba), but this has been lost, 

 and is not so good as other kinds. 



The Louisiana cow pea is a multi-coloured 

 pea about the size of the ordinary field pea. 



We rode through a field of Florida 

 velvet bean, and it was one mass of vines 

 and leaves to 2^ to 3 feet in height. The 

 hoi-ses fioundered through, catching their 

 legs in great ropes of vines twisted to- 

 gether. Getting through this, we came 

 to a field of Bourbon pea, and the riding 

 was rather worse, but Mr. Wilkinson com- 

 f 01 ted us by the assurance that Ave should 

 reach a road soon ; this we soon did, or 

 were told so, we had to take Mr. Wilkin- 



