30 



Production of Butter. 



by management, — the clairjwoman being esteemed one of the best 

 hands in that celebrated cheese making conntj. My own con- 

 clusions were, that mere manipulation had little to do with it. 

 The best cheese is a compound of cheese and butter. When the 

 cattle were fed at large on leguminous food, rich in casein, that 

 substance greatly preponderated in the milk, the butter being 

 partially consumed by the animal in the course of the exercise 

 requisite to procure its food, &c. ; when fed in the house with 

 the like food, the butter was necessarily yielded in greater pro- 

 portion, consequently formed a rich fat cheese. In concluding 

 these observations on milk, it must be remarked, that the milk 

 obtained from different breeds varies greatly with respect to the 

 quantity of butter which it contains, and still more with respect 

 to the milk drawn from the cow at the commencement, and near 

 the conclusion of the milking, the latter being provincially termed 

 " strippings," and "afterings." SchuBler says that the milk last 

 drawn contains three times as much cream as the first. Dr. 

 Anderson found the cream in the last cup of milk drawn from 

 the udder, compared with that of the first cup, in the proportion 

 of 16 to 1 ; it is consequently of the greatest importance that the 

 cow should be milked perfectly " dry at each meal." For another 

 reason this ought to be carefully attended to : when the larger 

 vessels are regularly emptied, milk is being constantly secreted 

 by the capillary milk vessels ; when, however, from any cause 

 the whole are allowed to become gorged for a lengthened period, 

 this secretion ceases, and absorption of the thinner, or watery 

 portion, commences. It may easily be conceived that this absorp- 

 tion takes place more readily in the smaller and more distant 

 tubes, than in the larger and more external vessels. If this full 

 state of the vessels continues any length of time, the secretion of 

 milk will cease or diminish, not unfrequently attended by serious 

 inflammation ; materially impairing, or altogether destroying, the 

 function of the milk gland. 



In milking, the cow should be milked " clean'''' at once ; some 

 are in the habit of doing this at twice or thrice. The cow is a 

 sensitive and capricious creature, easily offended ; and if the dairy- 

 maid rise from her before the milk is all withdrawn, the chances 

 are that she will not stand quietly, with the further probability 

 that she will hold hack her milk the second time. Where there 

 are more than one dairymaid, each should have a particular set of 

 cows apportioned to her, cows preferring to be milked by a constant 

 acquaintance rather than by a stranger. During the flush of 

 grass, when the cows are loaded with milk, it may be well always 

 to go round a second time, by which means frequently a teacupful 

 to half a pint of milk can be obtained. 



Milking should be done fast^ to draw off the milk as quickly 



