Dairying  in  Denmark. 
1(15 
important  stage  in  the  process  of  butter-making.  The  butter  is 
afterwards  worked  in  a longitudinal  butter-worker  until  all  the 
liquid  mixture  of  buttermilk  and  water  has  been,  as  far  as 
possible,  pressed  out.  It  is  then  put  in  white  porcelain  pots, 
each  holding  a pound,  stamped  with  the  Danish  Crown,  and 
covered  with  a nice-fitting  lid,  being  then  ready  to  be  sent  to 
the  King’s  Palace,  or  to  be  sold  at  Mrs.  Nielson’s  shop  in 
Copenhagen. 
On  farms  where  only  a small  portion  of  the  butter  is  intended 
for  immediate  consumption  as  fresh  butter,  while  the  rest  is 
made  into  keeping  butter,  the  process  of  washing  is  varied  as 
follows: — The  butter  having  “come”  as  usual,  the  lid  of  the 
churn  is  taken  off  and  the  churn  tipped  to  a convenient  angle 
in  the  ordinary  way.  The  butter  is  then  taken  out  in  small 
portions  by  means  of  a sieve,  through  the  meshes  of  which  most 
of  the  buttermilk  drains  away.  The  sieve  and  the  contained 
butter  are  then  plunged  in  a bucket  of  clear  cold  water,  then 
raised  out  of  the  water  to  allow  of  drainage,  and  this  is  repeated 
three  or  four  times,  or  as  often  as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 
The  washing  by  this  method  is  nearly  as  effective  as  the 
washing  in  the  churn,  and  is  exceedingly  convenient  on  a large 
dairy-farm,  where  it  is  desired  to  make  only  a proportion  of  the 
butter  into  “fresh”  for  immediate  consumption. 
5.  Cleanliness.  — Whatever  method  of  butter-making  is 
adopted,  excessive  cleanliness  in  every  particular  is  all  but  uni- 
versal in  Denmark.  The  wooden  implements  and  machines 
are  most  carefully  cleaned  after  use,  generally  by  first  rinsing 
in  cold  water,  then  by  successive  scrubbings  with  hot  water,  and 
finally  by  rinsing  copiously  with  cold  water  again.  Further,  one 
of  the  most  elementary  practices,  known  to  every  Danish  dairy- 
woman,  is,  that  no  matter  how  clean  a wooden  implement  may 
be,  even  if  it  is  only  a spoon,  yet  before  it  is  allowed  to  touch  the 
butter  it  must  be  first  well  rinsed  in  scalding  water,  and  after- 
wards in  cold  water.  This  preparation  prevents  the  butter 
sticking  to  the  wood,  and  renders  the  various  operations  easy, 
neat,  and  clean,  thus  avoiding  any  undue  pulling  about  of  the 
butter  to  the  injury  of  its  “grain,” — that  precious  quality 
which,  when  once  destroyed,  can  never  be  repaired  or  replaced. 
In  fine  weather  the  churns  and  milk-cans  of  all  descriptions 
are  dried  in  the  open  air,  but  in  wet  weather  they  are  dried 
under  cover,  but  out  of  doors  if  possible.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  “ butter-working  ” utensils  are  generally  left  to  dry  in  the 
butter-cellar.  It  should  be  remarked  that  the  washing  or 
cleansing  is  done  in  this  cellar,  where  the  milk  is  set  for  cream 
and  the  butter  is  stored  in  kegs,  ready  to  be  sent  to  market.  No 
taint  of  an}’  kind  is  allowed  to  come  into  this  sanctuary,  which, 
