304 Report on the Dairy-Farming of the North-west of France. 
Fig. 5. — Trough for Washing, Kneading, and Salting Butter 
(after M. Pouriau*). 
their fists, while water dribbles upon it and helps to wash out 
the butter-milk. The salt is afterwards incorporated in the 
butter by the same means. 
At the factory of M. le Noii Bidard, at Rennes, the mixing 
and washing tables are specially designed to enable the very 
hard winter-butter of the district to be efficiently dealt with. 
They are constructed of solid oak from the floor to the suriace, 
and are about 32 inches in height. The surface of the table is 
nearly flat, and is surrounded by a rim about six inches high. 
The butter having been sorted into qualities as already de- 
scribed, each lump is subdivided by means of a wooden knife 
and spread over the surface of the table. Six men armed with 
heavy wooden mallets then range themselves, three on each side 
of the table, and, keeping time like so many blacksmiths at an 
anvil, pound the butter into a more soft and tractable mass. 
1 his process being finished, the butter is transferred to a Second 
table, where the washing, mixing, and salting are carried on 
in the usual manner. 
Some years ago, a "Mixing-machine" (Figs. 6 and 7) was 
invented by M. Hauducoeur ; and it has found a certain amount 
of favour with some of the butter-merchants. It consists of a 
hopper, into which the butter is placed, leading to a pair of 
(luted rollers, between which the butter passes, and falls into a 
second hopper leading to a pair of smooth rollers. The butter 
* 'l.a Ijiiitcric,'— an ;i(liiiii!il>lc liMlr liool;. 
