1848. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
299 
BCTTEB-MAKIIfG IK HOLLAND. 
Editors Cultivator— As I had some dairy-farming 
experience in Holland, and was for a number of years 
manager of an extensive farm where butter was made, 
in the Northern part of that country, where the best ar¬ 
ticle for market is produced, I thought it not unfit to 
give your readers a description of the way the u Hol¬ 
landers ” make butter, which often keeps one year or 
more. 
We milked from 40 to 60 cows, of a breed called 
,c Lakeveldsche,” after their originator. This breed of 
cattle was obtained like the Bake well sheep, by scru¬ 
pulously breeding the best animals, till the highest 
point of perfection for the dairy was obtained. They 
are invariably white, with a black, cloth-like spot on 
the back, and down the sides ; their size is equal to the 
Durham cows I have seen in America. The milk of 
these cows is generally very rich, although one animal 
will differ sometimes largely from another in this res¬ 
pect. They sell commonly for 80 guilders, ($32) each, 
i have often paid as high as 150 guilders for an extra 
milker. 
Although these animals are always highly fed and 
well kept in all seasons, they are constantly poor while 
they are milked; this is one of their best qualities, as 
they turn everything into milk. 
We took from 18 to 8 quarts of milk a day through¬ 
out the year, according to season; the highest point, and 
the best milk is obtained in April and the beginning of 
May, when the cattle get the new clover and grass. 
At that period, the butter is of the finest possible fla¬ 
vor and sells, made up in fancy figures and adorned with 
the first flowers of spring, 
“ Whose'colors quaint 
Have diaper’d the meadows o’er,” 
for 50 and 40 cents (American currency,) the pound- 
The average price North Holland butter commands; 
from wholesale dealers, throughout the year, is 15 cts. 
per pound, American currency. 
Our cows were always fed in the stable, and turned 
out in an open yard twice a day for exercise, and to 
cleanse their places by a liberal application of water 
and broom rubbing, of which last two articles, the 
Dutch dairyman is most lavish, no filth nor litter being 
ever allowed to remain in the stable at the time of 
milking. 
The whole secret of making such superior, and long 
keeping high-flavored butter, is, according to my ob¬ 
servation, only -.o be found in the most minute cleanli¬ 
ness in the manipulation generally, and in the utmost 
nicety in the keeping of the milk, cream, vessels and 
apartments, joined to plenty of white (Dutch) clover, 
and the use of salt, obtained by the evaporation of sea 
water. 
Every morning before sunrise, the cows were fed 
and turned, out, the dung and all filth removed, and the 
doors and windows opened. After airing the stable, 
they were placed back again, and milked, the milk, ta¬ 
ken to the dairy-maid, was placed in shallow earthen 
pans (glazed inside) which stood in a reservoir of cool 
water, purposely let in before every milking. In the 
course of the day she dipped off the cream, by the aid 
of a flat hollow wooden dish, as often as it rose to the 
surface of the milk, which in no case is suffered to get 
sour before the cream is taken off. The cream was 
poured into large tubs, in the form of a Dutch churn, 
and stirred several times in the day. I should have 
stated that the night’s milk was put in the pans in the 
same way, and skimmed off before the morning’s milk 
was brought in; the cream of the last being added to 
that of the first, the whole was suffered to get sour to¬ 
gether. If the cream did not turn sour by itself, it 
was caused to do so by adding some acid cream to the 
contents of the tubs.* 
Churning was performed by horse-power, sometimes 
once a day and sometimes every other day, according 
to the fitness of the cream; the churn apparatus was 
so arranged that a regular motion of the dasher could 
be adapted to the season of the year. After the butter 
was separated it was taken out, by a strainer made of 
silver wire, and put in a brass tray, in which it was left 
to harden for a few hours, in the reservoir alluded to 
above. When hard enough to knead well, the butter¬ 
milk was all pressed out, not a particle visible to the 
eye being left, after which the^-dry-dratter was salted 
and the salt worked in. The hand, often dipped in ice- 
cold water, has hitherto performed the expulsion of the 
buttermilk. After the salt was added, only a wooden 
ladle, perfectly sweet, touched the butter, and the milk¬ 
like brine which is expressed under the operation of 
salting, is dried off by pressing clean linen towels on 
the butter. 
The next operation is putting the butter down in the 
firkin; this is made of white oak (slightly different from 
the American white oak, it being closer-grained,) and 
when destined for a sea voyage or long keeping, only 
old firkins, which we collected for the purpose, were 
used, after the same were made sweet by scalding 
brine. The bottom of the vessel was sprinkled and 
the sides rubbed with pulverised salt, and the butter 
packed in such a manner that no cavities nor brine ever 
remained in or between the successive layers; the firkin 
being filled, a layer of salt was rubbed on the surface, 
and a clean sheet of white paper placed over the salt, 
while the nailing on of a hollow wooden dish, comple¬ 
ted the article for market and for transportation to any 
part of the world. 
It is incredible to any body who has not made close 
observations on the subject, how easily milk is changed 
by the temperature, and above all, how easily it is af¬ 
fected by the vessels wherein it is kept, as also, how 
much, almost magical influence, the personal cleanli¬ 
ness of the dairy-maid has, on the article of butter pro¬ 
duced. Dairymen who have the same stock of cattle, 
the same stables, the same herbage, will not produce 
the same quality of butter, nor get the same price in 
market, because the production of the one is distin¬ 
guished by a pleasant, yellow, inviting color and admi¬ 
rable flavor, while that of the other is depreciated by a 
whitish, cheesy-like appearance, indifferent taste, and 
sometimes flabby texture. Some people, owing to a 
peculiarity about their person, never can make butter 
that will keep for a long time. 
It is a rule with the dairy-women of my country, ne¬ 
ver to put milk, cream or butter, twice in the same ves¬ 
sel, without scalding, airing, and if possible, sunning. 
I have eaten butter of our own make, that had been 
sent among ship stores, passed the equator to the island 
of Java, and was brought back again perfectly sweet 
and fresh. 
The cows, by the construction of the stable, were 
divided on both sides of a floor, 26 feet wide, with large 
doors for a wagon loaded with green herbage or hay to 
drive through; before and under the head of the cattle, 
* We presume it is only the first stage of acidity that our corresW 
pondent alludes to. An acrid state of the cream would be injurious- 
PD5. 
