1848. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
271 
BUTTER FOR THE UNITED STATES WAVY. 
You having given the substance of the article pub¬ 
lished in the Transactions for 1847, in relatiou to the 
manufacture of butter for the U. S. Navy, I doubt not 
it will be acceptable to the readers of the Cultivator, 
to peruse the annexed letter in relation to the subject 
from J. J. Hawley, of Binghamton. I endeavored to 
obtain the information contained in this letter, previous 
to the publication of the Transactions, but owing to 
misapprehension on the part of the gentleman to whom 
I wrote, I failed to receive it. Dr. A. Doubleday, 
however, on application to him, has procured it, and if 
anything was wanted, in addition to the facts already 
given, this letter supplies it, so that there can be no 
doubt whatever, that our state can in almost any sec¬ 
tion of it, furnish as good butter as Orange County — 
that will stand the test of tropical climes. Mr. Haw¬ 
ley saw butter which was made in Broome county , in 
1840, and sold in New Bedford after having been a 
whaling voyage, and at the expiration of nearly four 
years from its manufacture, which was as sweet and 
in as good condition as when first made. But I refer 
to the very interesting details in the letter annexed. 
B. P. J. 
Agricultural Rooms, Albany, August, 1, 1848. 
The idea that no butter made out of Orange county, 
will “resist the action of tropical climates and preserve 
its qualities for years,” is an utter absurdity. I think, 
that not one-third of the butter sold as “ Orange coun¬ 
ty” is made in that locality. That county has during 
ten years past, sent out hundreds of emigrants to the 
counties of Sullivan, Delaware, Chenango, Broome, 
Tioga, Tompkins, Chemung, and perhaps others in the 
state of New-York, who have continued the manufac¬ 
ture of butter for market, and who, at the end of each 
season have been in the habit of transporting their but¬ 
ter in wagons across the country to the different points 
of shipment in Orange county, and there shipping it as 
from “Orange county.” Many of the persons had, for 
ten years before emigrating, regular purchasers in New- 
York for their butter, who it was understood were to 
take their product each year, when made, and pay the 
highest market price for it. These relations were in 
many instances, continued for several years, previous to 
their emigrating from Orange county, and many now 
continue them without the least objection being made 
to the quality of the butter. 
The term Orange County Butter seems to he misun¬ 
derstood. * * It does not mean (as I understand it,) 
the locality where made, but a peculiar method of ma¬ 
nufacture, the perfect neatness and cleanliness of eve¬ 
rything about their dairies—the churning the milk in¬ 
stead of the cream, and the attention to the quantity 
and quality of the salt used, are the principal peculiar¬ 
ities. The churning the milk I deem essential to but¬ 
ter intended for long voyages. It gives it a peculiar 
firmness and fineness of texture, and wax-like appear¬ 
ance, which butter made by churning the clear cream, 
seldom has. These peculiarities can generally be de¬ 
tected by the eye. There is also a cream-like flavor, 
in milk-churned butter, which I have never found in 
butter manufactured in a different manner. 
I believe the highest price paid for dairies in New- 
York, for several years past, has been paid for several 
dairies from Chemung county. Being at the table of 
a certain well known gourmand in New-York, in the 
spring of 1847, I remarked the very fine quality of the 
butter—He replied that such butter could not be made 
out of Orange county. The conversation continued, 
until finally the original firkin was brought up, when I 
found it was branded John Holbert, (Premium.) Mr. 
Holbert resides in Chemung county , and it will be re¬ 
collected took the first premium at the State fair in Sa¬ 
ratoga, in 1847, for butter made in June. This gen¬ 
tleman told me, he had his supply of butter of this 
dairy, for several years, of a particular grocer who 
alone sold it, at 33 cents per lb. 
The opinion of the gentleman who has charge of the 
butter department of the U. S. Navy, “ that no butter 
made out of Orange county, will resist the action of 
tropical climates,” I know to be erroneous. A dairy 
made in this county, (Broome) has been sent abroad 
much of the time for ten years past. In 1839 it was 
sold in St. Croix, to the Governor, for 75 cts. per lb. 
In 1840, it was sold in New-Bedford, and went a wha¬ 
ling voyage. I saw some of it after the expiration of 
nearly four years from its manufacture, as sweet, and 
in as good condition as when made. The same dairy 
has since been sold in New-Orleans, in Natchez, and 
Mobile, and there never has been any complaint as to 
its quality. 
I shipped some butter, that was the product of this 
county, to Canton, in 1846, which, under very disad¬ 
vantageous circumstances, opened as fresh as when 
made, and proved so good, that the shippers have each 
year since applied to me for butter for cabin stores for 
their ships. I broke up the original firkins and procu¬ 
red a quantity of small white oak kegs, which would 
contain from 15 to 25 lbs. each, and repacked the but¬ 
ter, selecting the best from a large quantity. These 
kegs, when filled, were put in very large hogsheads, 
and the interstices filled with rock salt, and the casks 
placed in the hold of the vessel. This butter when 
sold, (about eighteen months after its manufacture) 
was in as good condition as when made. The small 
kegs were not used in reference to the preservation of 
the butter, but merely for convenience in retailing at 
Canton. 
The exportation of butter for the supply of the dif¬ 
ferent cities, that are along the southern coast of Asia, 
is probably destined to be a very considerable business. 
The entire supply for the immense cities in the posses¬ 
sion of the Britisn East India Company being derived 
from Europe, (mostly from Ireland, but some little 
from Holland,) and it is usually purchased at home, at 
a price which would fully pay an American shipper at 
its destination. 
The relative proportion of our county, that is adapt¬ 
ed to the finer qualities of butter, is probably as small 
as any other article of general necessity. But much 
of the southern tier of counties, and also of the central 
and northern portions of the State of New-York will, 
(when well cultivated,) produce the various grasses 
necessary to give butter the peculiar flavor and aroma 
of Orange county, when properly manufactured. 
The emigrants from Orange county before alluded 
to, all agree in opinion, that as good butter can be made 
in their new location as in Orange county. Minnisink 
is cited in the circular as being the locality producing 
the best butter in Orange county. A Minnisink dairy- 
woman in this vicinity, who had for many years the re¬ 
putation of being one of the best in that town, made 
her first lot of about sixty firkins here last season, and 
says"i t was the best she ever made. All the Orange 
county emigrants agree in opinion, (and many ot them 
are persons of much experience and close observation 
