290 
Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 
put over, and then pressed full of fine salt, slightly moistened. 
Strong brine will answer the same purpose, but whitens the top 
portion of the butter. When old jars are used, they should be 
filled with dry earth a few days, then thoroughly cleansed. A lit¬ 
tle leaven of rancid butter, in some unseen nook of the jar, will 
soon leaven the whole jar. Good ash or oak firkins, well soaked 
with strong brine before packing, and headed up, are better than 
jars for preserving butter. Our custom is to pack in jars, from two 
to four gallons each, nearly or quite full; fit a piece of thin, white 
cotton-cloth on the top; sprinkle on a little salt, and bind over the 
top two thicknesses of brown paper, securing it well with twine. 
We sell mostly through commission merchants as long as we can 
get 25 cents and upwards, which usually is until about the middle 
of June. We then pack in firkins. In about four weeks we find 
our commission friends calling for butter upon our terms. We 
then pack in jars. We find our firkin-butter keeps as long as we 
wish, and is preferred by some to fresh-made. I have sold 2,147 
pounds from eleven cows the past year, besides supplying my fam¬ 
ily, consisting of seven or more persons. I have raised six calves, 
mostly upon skimmed-milk, and fattened five more to six weeks 
old. I have raised about 2,400 pounds pork, the growth of one- 
half of which, I think, may be credited to sour milk. This show¬ 
ing is not quite as good as many claim to have done—not as good 
as I hope to do the coming year; but still, I am well pleased with 
the balance-sheet, to say nothing of the evident increased fertility 
of my farm. 
Question: What amount of butter did you make from your cows 
the past year? 
Mr. Curtis: I produced 2,147 pounds of butter from eleven cows, 
besides supplying seven persons in the family. I also raised six 
calves, mostly on skim-milk, and fatted four more. 
Mr. Bingham: I would like to have Mr. Curtis repeat his test of 
a srood cow. 
< _ • 
Mr. Curtis: I should have said more on some points than I have, 
but I thought I was taking up too much of the time of the con¬ 
vention, and I shortened it up as much as possible. The majority 
of our cows are good, if well kept. I do not take so much stock in 
the fancy breeds as many do; still I do not object to them by any 
means. I hope all will test it and try the recommended 
