Dairying  in  Denmark. 
161 
columns,  already  entered  the  quantity  of  milk,  weight  of  cream, 
&c.,  so  that  she  can  see  in  a moment  how  much  milk  or  cream 
she  has  used  to  make  a pound  of  butter.  She  can  also  calculate 
to  a nicety  how  much  salt  she  requires  to  use  according  to  the 
usual  percentage  found  to  be  desirable,  or  stipulated  for  by  the 
butter-merchant.  This  is  generally  from  3 to  1 per  cent.  Salting 
is  done  by  carefully  uncoiling  each  roll  of  butter,  and  spreading 
it  out  in  its  cake-like  form  on  the  bottom  of  the  kneading-tub, 
until  about  one-half  the  number  have  been  thus  treated.  They 
should  be  placed  close  together,  so  as  almost  to  overlap.  The 
salt  is  then  evenly  sprinkled  over  the  butter,  and  the  remaining 
rolls  are  uncoiled,  and  placed  upside  down  on  the  others. 
The  dairymaid  next  takes  a wooden  knife  and  cuts  pieces  of  a 
convenient  size,  vertically,  out  of  the  salt-and-butter  sandwich. 
She  then  works  each  piece  precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  before, 
and  for  about  as  many  times,  taking  the  same  precautions  as  before 
to  keep  her  hands  clean  and  cool,  and  with  only  a butter  flavour. 
In  this  way  she  thoroughly  incorporates  the  salt  with  the  butter, 
and  expresses  any  lingering  buttermilk,  while  still  carefully 
preserving  the  grain  of  the  butter.  When  it  has  been  sufficiently 
worked  in  this  way,  she  brings  the  butter  into  a “ saddle  ” 
shape,  so  as  to  expose  as  much  of  its  surface  as  possible  to  the 
cooling  influences  to  which  it  will  next  be  subjected. 
These  saddle-shaped  pieces  of  butter  are,  in  the  best  dairies, 
placed  in  a long  wooden  box  fitted  with  movable  laths  resting 
on  a ledge  about  a couple  of  inches  from  its  solid  bottom.  This 
arrangement  not  only  admits  of  drainage  from  the  butter,  but  it 
also  allows  a current  of  air  to  sweep  beneath  as  well  as  above  and 
around  the  butter.  The  box  is  covered  Avith  a tin  tray  filled 
with  ice ; and  thus  the  butter  is  left  to  harden  for  about  two 
hours,  as  a rule.  Where  ice  is  not  used,  the  butter  is  covered 
with  a cloth,  and  left  in  the  coolest  available  place  for  as  long 
as  four  hours  in  summer,  but  in  winter  not  longer  sometimes 
than  one  hour.  The  test  adopted  to  ascertain  whether  the 
butter  is  ready  for  the  next  operation  is  its  comparative  brittle- 
ness. If  the  pieces  of  butter  can  be  broken  short  off,  they  are 
ready  for  the  final  working. 
The  butter  is  worked  for  the  last  time  before  it  is  packed, 
either  by  being  passed  through  a mechanical  butter-worker,  or 
by  a repetition  of  the  hand  process  already  described.  Some 
few  years  ago  the  use  of  the  circular  butter-worker  on  large 
farms,  and  of  the  small  longitudinal  butter-worker  on  small 
farms,  was  almost  universal ; but  at  the  present  time  many 
farmers  have  abandoned  the  use  of  these  machines.  I was  at 
some  pains  to  ascertain  the  reason,  but  was  not  completely 
satisfied  with  the  result  of  my  inquiries.  However,  the  con- 
VOI,  XIX. — S.  S.  M 
