180 
ENGLISH MODE OP MAKING BUTTER. 
his offspring will not inherit his good qualities, but 
his and his progenitors’ imperfections. There are 
but few cows that sufficiently combine the many 
essential qualities of bull breeders. And it is a 
growing evil to save the male produce of inferior 
cows for bulls, thereby making a bad and worse 
than useless bull of what would otherwise make a 
good ox. 
The color of Herefords is much diversified. It 
is well known that there are good Herefords of 
various colors, such as greys, roans, mottled, and 
white faces, with and without marks of white on 
the back, bosom, and abdomen ; the rest of the 
body being dark, or light red. As a well-wisher 
to the future prosperity of Hereford cattle, 1 much 
deplore the fashion, or prejudice, which gives a 
predominance in favor of a particular color, to the 
exclusion of all others. To accomplish it, there 
must be a sacrifice of many good, if not the very 
best animals, without any real advantage accruing 
from it. A herd uniform in color is pleasing to the 
eye of a superficial observer: but an individual 
with any pretensions to a knowledge of the true 
character of Herefords will discover the character¬ 
istics of the breed, notwithstanding the herd con¬ 
tains animals of every color incident to them. In¬ 
deed, it is strongly marked in the late Mr. B. 
Tomkins’, and his successor’s, (Mr. Price’s,) family 
of Herefords. Although to a great extent I disregard 
color, I by no means am indifferent about the coat, 
or covering. 
The Herefords, I presume, should have a moder- 
ately-thick hide, elastie, and qffording to the touch 
that mellowness, which is only to be acquired by 
experience. These are indicative of a predispo¬ 
sition to acquire flesh and fat, and it is termed 
quality. The skin should also be covered with a 
thick pile of flossy hair, which I like to see waft 
in the breeze when exposed, (as is frequently the 
lot of Herefords,) to all the vicissitudes and incle¬ 
mencies of the weather, looking as if Nature had 
destined them to endure it, by providing them with 
a suitable covering. There are many standards of 
form erected by different judges, but only one can 
be true ; and to arrive at the knowledge of that 
should be every breeder’s ambition. Mr. Welles, 
in his admirable and instructive letters on this sub¬ 
ject, which appeared in the Hereford Journal and 
other periodicals, has given a detailed account of 
the defective points existing in Herefords, especi¬ 
ally as it regards their forequarters, to remedy 
which, Mr. Price’s sort of bulls should be called 
into active requisition. It augurs well, and is a 
proof of the correctness of my recommendation that 
the Hereford prize oxen and heifer, and many of the 
prize cattle at all the meetings of the Royal Eng¬ 
lish Agricultural Society, were either purely of Mr. 
Price’s sort, or strongly spiced with that blood. I 
can imagine that an undue attachment to a favorite 
color, and a love for animals of overgrown dimen¬ 
sions, will operate with some breeders against try¬ 
ing this heretofore successful cross. It is plainly 
observable that now, size is receiving more attention 
than/om, at the sacrifice of many points of utility 
and beauty. We occasionally see a good animal 
of overgrown dimensions, but more frequently the 
reverse—“ an uncertain bull at an uncertain hop 
neither do I believe there is any advantage in it, as 
animals require more food and care when driven 
beyond their natural standard, and, like water 
forced above its level, will return to it again when 
the floodgate is withdrawn. I do not, however, 
advocate diminutive animals, but those with as 
much size as is consistent with the laws of nature. 
If the breeders of Herefords steadily keep in view 
the improvement of their justly-celebrated cattle, 
the shorthorns and Devons will never supersede 
them, and they will be enabled to maintain their 
invidious position at the two great' national agri¬ 
cultural exhibitions. George Drake. 
Stockbridge, Hants , Feb. 27th, 1849. 
ENGLISH MODE OF MAKING BUTTER. 
The following is the mode in which the best 
butter in England is obtained. If you consider it 
worth a place in your journal, it is at your ser¬ 
vice. Charles Wills, 
Veterinary Surgeon. 
Veterinary Institution , 
New York , May , 1849. 
The best land for grazing is old pasture, as 
free from weeds as possible, with abundance of 
good water. The cows should never be fast driven, 
heated, nor tormented in any way. They should 
be housed at night, fed on green food, and the pas¬ 
ture changed when practicable. When going to 
milk, take saltpetre in the pail, one eighth of an 
ounce to every eight quarts of milk. 
The dairy should be kept very clean and airy, 
and as near the temperature of 50° F. as possible, 
with very little light, and completely shaded from 
the sun, in summer, by trees, or otherwise. Strain 
the milk into coolers sweet and dry, (never mix 
warm and cold milk,) keep it from two to four days, 
then put the whole of the milk and cream into a 
clean churn, which is is not to be used for any other 
purpose but the one intended. Boiiing water is to be 
added to raise the temperature to 70°. Care should 
be taken not to continue churning beyond what is 
absolutely necessary. 
After churning, put the butter into two bowls or 
pans of pickle, made from pure water and fine rock 
salt, dried in a stove or by the fire, as common salt, 
obtained from springs or the ocean, gives the butter 
a bad flavor. It should then be well washed, and 
the pickle changed frequently, until all the milk is 
extracted, working with the hand the two parcels 
alternately, until the grain becomes quite close and 
firm, when it is to be cured with the finest dried 
rock salt and sugar, in the proportion of one ounce 
of refined sugar to a pound of salt, to be well 
worked into the butter with the hand, until all the 
pickle is driven out. The butter should be finish¬ 
ed the day it is churned, and then packed as closely 
as possible into a cask, if it is not intended for im¬ 
mediate use, which should be well seasoned, for 
some days previous, with strong pickle, frequently 
changed. The cask should be strong and air-tight, 
and if not filled at one churning, the butter should 
be covered with pickle until the next; but no cask 
should contain more than one week’s churning. If 
the butter should, at any time, appear pale in color 
after the churning has commenced, a little grated 
carrot juice may be added, which will not injure 
either the butter or milk. 
