THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. Xill, No. 10. 



JANUARY, 1907. 



FARM BUTTER-MAKING. 



The making of butter on the farm can only be regarded as a 

 profitable means of utilizing milk under certain circumstances, 

 such as: (i) When there is practically no local demand for 

 whole milk and the distance from a railway station is excessive ; 



(2) When the quantity of milk produced on the farm is not 

 sufficient to pay for its porterage by road or rail to market ; 



(3) When the net value of whole milk is very low indeed ; 



(4) When the making of cheese or disposal of cream cannot be 

 carried out satisfactorily ; (5) When the butter can be sold 

 retail at a good price. Under any of the above circumstances, 

 butter-making may be made a financial success provided other 

 conditions are favourable. For instance, it is necessary that 

 the land, water supply and buildings should be adapted for 

 the purpose of dairying, and that the cattle should be bred, 

 selected and fed so as to be capable of yielding rich milk. 

 Profitable ways of utilizing the separated milk and the butter- 

 milk must be found either for stock feeding or for commercial 

 purposes. 



Butter Ratio. — Before giving particulars of the butter-making 

 dairy, the term " butter ratio " may be explained. This expression 

 really means the ratio of butter produced to the milk used, 

 but is generally understood by dairymen as the amount of milk 

 it takes to make one pound of butter. Thus, roughly grouping 



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