PRACTICAL PAPERS—BUTTER FACTORIES. 
265 
Character of Butter .—At this as at other ranches, I tested 
nothing but fresh or newly made butter. The color was a 
light yellow, but much deeper than could have been expected 
from the dry and brown feed. The distinguished characteris¬ 
tic of all the butter I saw, was its solid, waxy texture. The 
flavor was fair, but it had less of that peculiar aroma which 
the finer fancy samples of New York butter possess. This 
may have been attributable to the condition of dry feed in 
part, and perhaps in part to the manner of manufacturing. 
1 tested the milk and buttermilk in numerous instances and 
found it of excellent flavor, and in no instance could I detect 
a taint or anything objectionable in flavor. I should say that 
such milk, in such a cool even climate, ought to make, if prop¬ 
erly manipulated, the finest quality of both butter and cheese. 
The Home Rancho .—This rancho is about ten miles west of 
Olema, a small village on the road to San Rafael. It contains 
three thousand acres, has four hundred and thirteen cows and 
one hundred and fifty-eight horses—mustangs, roadsters and 
lasso horses—including an imported English stallion, a thor¬ 
oughbred racer. 
Mr. Nichols, the very intelligent foreman of this establish¬ 
ment, informed me that there were about two thousand head 
of beef cattle connected with this rancho, or under his man¬ 
agement, and four hundred heifers, which were being raised 
for cows. The beef cattle go to market at San Francisco, and 
other parts of the state, at three years old and upward, bring¬ 
ing from $10 to $60 per head. 
The buildings at the Home rancho are commodious and 
more extensive than at some of the other places. They are 
situated in a lovely little valley, surrounded by round hills, 
over which the cattle roam and feed. 
Butter is made here, as at the other dairies, and the applian¬ 
ces and mode of manufacture are similar to what has been pre¬ 
viously described. From twelve to fourteen men are employed 
on the rancho, and they get at the rate of $3^ per month and 
board, for a period of six months, or during the busy season. 
