736 
On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
As  far  as  this  experiment  goes,  it  tends  to  show  that  there  is 
no  increase  in  the  weight  of  butter,  but  the  reverse,  produced  by 
the  scalding  process. 
The  analysis  shows  that  the  proportion  of  pure  butter  in  butter 
made  from  scalded  cream  is  not  greater  than  that  which  is  to  be 
found  in  ordinary  butter;  a portion  of  butter  is  therefore  left 
either  in  the  butter-milk  or  in  the  skim-milk,  or  wasted  in  the 
warming. 
The  practical  advantages  of  scalding  cream  are,  that  the  butter 
is  quickly  made  by  stirring  with  the  hand  or  with  a stick  without 
the  labour  of  long  churning  ; and  that  it  keeps  much  longer. 
The  first  advantage  may  be  explained  by  the  supposition  that 
the  bubbles  of  casein  which  contain  the  oily  matter  are  burst  by 
the  heat,  so  that  the  process  of  churning  is  already  more  than  half 
effected  ; but  the  analysis  throws  no  light  on  the  question  why 
scalded  butter  keeps  best.  The  best  dairy  farmers  near  Exeter 
both  scald  the  milk  and  churn  the  cream  ; they  find  that  by  this 
plan  thev  secure  the  advantages  of  scalded  cream  butter,  and 
without  any  loss  of  quantity  worth  taking  into  account. 
Cider. — A large  quantity  of  cider  is  made  in  Somersetshire,  of 
two  very  different  qualities.  The  ordinary  rough  cider  drunk  by 
the  labourer  is  worth  from  one  to  two  or  three  guineas  per 
hogshead,  according  to  the  season ; the  best  sweet  cider  made  in 
the  parishes  of  Kingston  and  Heathfield,  near  Taunton,  is  sold 
for  from  three  to  ten  guineas  per  hogshead,  and  may  be  kept  for 
20  years  without  losing  its  quality.  The  difference  in  the  value 
is  partly  attributable  to  the  sorts  of  the  apples,  and  to  the  nature 
of  the  soil  ; but  the  principal  difference  consists  in  the  mode 
adopted  in  the  making  ; and  especially  in  the  means  adopted 
for  stopping  the  fermentation  at  the  right,  point.  In  the  ordi- 
nary practice  the  stoppage  of  the  fermentation  is  a matter  of 
chance  ; the  object  aimed  at  by  good  cider-makers  is  to  reduce 
that  chance  to  a certainty  by  using  great  care. 
The  juice  of  apples  contains  a variable  percentage  of  sugar 
and  also  of  vegetable  gluten.  The  gluten  subsides  to  the  bottom 
of  the  cask,  and  as  soon  as  a certain  quantity  has  been  deposited, 
it  causes  the  liquor  to  ferment. 
The  object  of  the  cidermaker  is  to  allow  as  much  fermentation 
as  is  necessary  to  produce  a vinous  fluid,  and  to  get  rid  of  the 
gluten  as  soon  as  possible  after  this  has  taken  place.  But  as 
this  gives  a great  deal  of  trouble,  the  ordinary  course  is  to  allow 
the  fermentation  to  proceed  till  nearly  the  whole  of  the  sugar  has 
been  converted  into  carbonic  acid  and  alcohol,  with  perhaps  a 
portion  of  vinegar,  and  the  result  is  a harsh  intoxicating  liquor 
with  no  nourishment  in  it.  In  the  best  cider  a large  portion  of 
the  sugar  is  preserved  and  there  is  comparatively  little  alcohol. 
