582 



Farm Butter-Making. 



[JAN., 



hands, &c., may be prepared for use in the following manner: — 

 (i) Scald with boiling water and ventilate the churn immediately 

 it is set in motion, scrub all with suitable brush ; (2) Rinse with 

 cold water and drain it off ; (3) Rub the inside of the churn with 

 salt, also the worker (it is not necessary to do this each time) ; 

 (4) Rinse again with cold water, leaving some on the worker 

 and some in the churn, until the cream is ready to be put in. 

 Wrap a wet butter muslin round the roller of the worker and 

 place another damp cloth over the butter board. 



Chufiiing. — Strain the cream into the churn but do not more 

 than half fill it. Churn slowly at first, ventilating frequently, 

 and then gradually increase the speed of the churn to about 55 

 revolutions a minute. The time taken in producing the butter 

 varies considerably, and depends upon the kind of churn used, 

 on the temperature, ripeness and thickness of the cream, period 

 of lactation of the cows, and concussion produced in the churn. 

 Generally speaking, the butter should " come " in thirty to forty 

 minutes, as under these circumstances the best results are 

 obtained. Stop churning as soon as the butter " breaks," that 

 is, as soon as the cream is changed into the form of fine grains 

 of butter. This stage is indicated by the clearing of the glass 

 window in the lid, and by the dull thud of the " broken " cream 

 falling inside the churn. If in doubt as to whether this stage 

 has been reached, open the churn and see the condition of the 

 cream ; should the cream become sleep}^ it is necessary to add 

 water to thin it down and regulate its temperature. At this 

 time add a quart or so of cold breaking water for each gallon of 

 cream in the churn and then continue churning until the butter 

 grains are of the required size. The best size is on the average 

 about that of turnip seed. In no case should the butter be 

 churned into lumps, as then too much curd is enclosed which it 

 is impossible to get rid of during the washing, and as a con- 

 sequence the keeping qualities of the butter are greatly reduced. 

 Draw off the butter-milk through the hand sieve over which 

 a piece of muslin has been tied. 



Washing and Salting. — The temperature both of the washing, 

 water and of the butter inside the churn should be taken at this 

 stage. To harden the grain bring the temperature of the water 

 down ; to soften the grain warm the water a few degrees. An 



