134 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
The reasons which I would assign are these: worms, in most cases, 
like other insects and animals, prepare in order for winter; and when re¬ 
moved from their torpid winter bed, to be more exposed to frost, not suf¬ 
ficient time allowed them to repair before the soil is congealed by freez¬ 
ing, they eventually perish. 
In observing the progress of the grain worm for several years, we have 
had, in this section, two seasons in which the worms have almost in toto 
been destroyed by extreme dry and warm weather, at the time directly 
iollowing the depositing of the nit or worm in the glume. 
Respecting the security of the wheat crop from the fly and grain worm, 
I am flattered by the experience of the past season, that I have obtained 
a remedy. On different parts of a field of wheat I made an experiment, 
the result was no grain worms were found; at the same time in other por¬ 
tions of the field, where no remedy was applied, very sensible damage 
was noticed. 
The remedy is simply grounded on principle, the expense was but a 
trifle. Respectfully yours, 
To J. Buel, Esq. SOLOMON W. JEWETT. 
Wey bridge, Vt Avgust 21, 1837. 
DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING BUTTER 
Mr. J. Buel,— Dear Sir,—According to promise, I send you the fol¬ 
lowing directions for making butter. They are strictly in accordance w’ith 
the method practised by my own family, and in which we have been suc¬ 
cessful in suiting the market for a great number of years. You are at li¬ 
berty to use them as you may judge proper. 
I am, dear sir, respectfully yours, 
JAS. SMEALLE. 
The milk of the cow is a nourishing and grateful food to man. Among 
the various uses to which it is put for this important purpose, none are 
more deserving of consideration than that well-known delicious substance 
called butter. Butter is an almost indispensable necessary of life; it is 
used by all classes of people; it forms an essential part of nearly every re¬ 
past, and if the quality is good, there are few indeed who do not highly 
relish it. But it will be readily admitted, that the qualities of butter differ 
extremely; some are very fine, while others are unfit for the purposes of 
the tabled Yet both the good and bad are produced from milk possessing 
exactly the same properties. Milk is composed of a peculiar oil, (or but¬ 
ter,) curd and whey, which can be easily separated. The same propor¬ 
tion of these ingredients may not exist in the milk of every cow, but the 
combination is the same in all. The following position will therefore hold 
good, viz: If good butter may be made from milk, and all milk possesses 
the same properties, then all milk (of healthy cows is intended) is sus¬ 
ceptible of producing good butter. It is admitted that the food of which 
the cows partake, for the time being, will more or less affect the quality 
of the butter. Winter and summer make, for example, are very diffe¬ 
rent, but both may be good of their kind,—difference in quality arising 
from this cause, therefore, will not affect the principle above laid down. 
It is evident that it is not to the milk, but to the management of it, that 
we must look for the cause of that diversity of quality existing in butter. 
When milk stands at rest for some time, cream collects upon its sur¬ 
face, which it will continue to do if kept in a proper state, until very lit¬ 
tle is left in the milk; but under certain circumstances it becomes sour 
and coagulated, after which the cream ceases to gather. It is generally 
admitted that the greatest quantity of butter is obtained by churning the 
whole of the milk. If this course is to be pursued, churning ought to be 
done as soon as possible after the milk has thickened. But the general 
practice is to churn the cream only, in which case, means must be used 
to keep the milk sweet, in order that the greatest quantity possible of 
cream may be obtained. The milking pails, milk pans, &c. must be re¬ 
gularly cleansed and scalded before being used. Let this extend to the 
whole apparatus of the dairy. 
Zink or tin milk pans should be used, they being most cooling and easi¬ 
ly kept sweet. The milk room must be well ventilated, and as cool as 
possible. In very warm weather it will be of advantage to place the milk 
pans on the floor. 
Cream is composed of the same ingredients with milk, but in different 
proportions. It must be skinned off" as soon as it has ceased collecting, 
and churned as soon as possible after it has thickened. If it is permitted 
to stand for a length of time before churning, the component parts will 
separate spontaneously, and in churning numerous particles of the curd 
will become blended with the butter, and can never afterwards be sepa¬ 
rated. The butter will appear spotted, it will have a sour trste, and will 
very soon become rancid. Cream is extremely liable to become fainted 
by any offensive smell with which it may come in contact. Butter will 
frequently have a flavor of cheese, onions, &c. merely from such articles 
having been placed near the milk during the time of creaming, hence the 
necessity of keeping the milk room sweet and clean. Care must be taken 
not to make the churning too warm; every one conversant with the busi¬ 
ness, knows the inferiority of what is termed scalded butter; it is much 
more safe to churn too cold than too hot. Hot water should never be used 
for the purpose of warming the churning. Its coming suddenly in con¬ 
tact with portions of the cream causes it to curdle and produce those evils 
already mentioned, when separation of the parts take place. When the 
churning requires warming, the better way is to fill a tin pail or milk pan 
with the milk or cream, set it in hot water, stirring it while warming; this 
can be repeated until the whole is brought to the proper temperature. 
We have said that the several ingredients of which milk is composed 
can be easily separated. Although this be the case, it requires time and 
labor to obtain either in a perfectly pure state. Butter, as taken from the 
churn, will contain a considerable portion of the other matters, and on the 
proper separation of these, the quality of the butter in a great measure 
depends. If the business has been rightly conducted, they will be in a 
liquid state, viz. of sour milk, and may be almost entirely removed. Ma¬ 
ny commence the operation of working the butter by washing it in cold 
water; the practice, although much followed, is not a good one; it injures 
the color, and detracts, in a considerable degree, from that delicious nutty 
sweetness, which fine butter possesses. This may appear novel to some, 
but it is not new to many of our best butter makers. Let anyone try the 
experiment, by treating parts of the same churning, the one by washing, 
and the other according to the directions here given; it is easily done, 
and will remove every doubt. 
Raise the vessel containing the new made butter a little on one side, to 
allow the milk to run off; commence working it with the ladle by bruising 
it down, turning it over, &c. pouring off the milk from time to time as it 
collects. Continue until the milk ceases coming off; add the proper 
quantity of fine salt, mixing it well with the butter, and set it.in a cool 
place until the following day, when it must be again thoroughly worked. 
The salt will have dissolved in the butter, and part of the pickle will work 
out, taking with if nearly all that remains of the foreign matters. Con- 
1 tinue working until the pickle comes off clear, and the butter a tough, so¬ 
lid mass. The excellent preservation of the butter depends much on this 
part of the business being properly performed, and to its mismanagement 
may justly be attributed a large proportion of that of inferior quality. As 
part of the salt will have been lost by working, the proper quantity 
must now be added, with about half a tea spoonful of salt petre, well pul¬ 
verized, to ten pounds of butter, mixing the whole properly. Here a 
caution may be proper, viz. having obtained good butter, don’t spoil it 
with salt, as is too often done. A medium is best, not so little as to make 
it insipid, nor so much as to destroy the flavor, and make the taste disa¬ 
greeable. 
In packing butter, the vessel to receive it, if made of wood, should be 
seasoned for at least a week previous to using it, by filling it frequently 
with buttermilk; it must likewise be properly cleansed and scalded. The 
butter should be put down as soon as the working is finished, while it is 
yet soft and pliable, pressing it together in such a manner as to leave no 
vacancies between the different churnings. If the butter is intended to 
be kept for a length of time, the following treatment will answer the dou¬ 
ble purpose of excluding the air, and supplying a proper pickle, which are 
both necessary. Cover the butter neatly with a linen or cotten cloth, 
over which lay a quantity of fine salt, add from half a pint to a pint of pure 
water, repeat either or both when necessary. Set it in a cool dry cellar. 
Follow the above directions and the butter will keep well, and be of ex¬ 
cellent quality. 
[Note.— We have seen and tasted both the cheese and butter of Mr. 
Smealle, made according to the directions, we understand, given above 
and in a former number of the Cultivator, and we do not hesitate to pro¬ 
nounce both of the first quality.— Cond. Cult .] 
FARMING IN THE VALLEY OF THE WABASH. 
La Fayette, Indiana, August 19, 1837. 
Judge Buel,— Dear Sir,—I have been making a few experiments in 
agriculture. I bought ten bushels of Black sea spring wheat, the second 
crop from the importation, and raised on Mr. Hand’s farm, in Madison 
county. The seed had considerable smut in it, and following the direc¬ 
tions in the Cultivator, I soaked the seed wheat in lime water,* but I find 
the crop to be very smutty. 
The seed was sowed late on sod ground;” by this, I mean the w’ild 
prairie in its natural state, simply turned over. The sod is then very tough, 
and requires a year to rot before it can be ploughed. I sowed late and in 
sod ground, which had not rotted, and all predicted a total failure and 
waste of seeds; but on the contrary, I raised onc-third more, or about thir¬ 
ty-three bushels per acre, which is ten bushels per acre more than any I 
knew of around. Their crops were winter killed generally. Our crop 
was ripe before others, though planted late in spring. 
The Baden corn which I see you notice in a former number, was re¬ 
ceived very late, and I fear will not fully ripen; but it is a wonder to all 
who behold it. The stalks are magnificent, large, very stout, and exceed¬ 
ingly tall, beyond any thing ever seen, even in this western Eden. We 
have fifty acres in this corn, doing well, and from five to ten ears on a 
stalk. If the fall is late we shall have a great crop. We followed Mr. 
Baden’s directions, planting five feet apart; but certainly three feet apart, 
and three stalks in a hill, in this rich and black earth, is better than two 
in a hill and five feet apart in the soil of Maryland, and old states. 
* The Cultivator directs, steep in salt and water, and then apply lime. 
