STORING BUTTER.

Patea Mail, 7 November 1881, Page 4

STORING BUTTER.

Butter is an exceedingly sensitive product, and when it is to be stored for three or four months great risk of loss is taken. The best butter is liable to be spoiled in a few days by exposure to any bad air, or it may be said by exposure to any air of a temperature above 55 degrees. The important thing to do is to exclude the air. If we had a package that could easily be sealed air-tight and then placd in a storage-room not above 60 degs., the finest butter might be kept indefinitely without injury. It is now well established that the air is filled with germs capable of destructive development in any fit medium. If butter were freed wholly from all caseinc and albumen destructive fermentation could not occur; but we have no process of butter-making by which the oil in milk can be separated in an absolutely pure state. It is, therefore, liable to rapid injury by contact with air. The Danes put up their butter which is to be kept for an indefinite period in air-tight tin packages of five to ten pounds, and these again are packed in wooden cases. But the objection to tin is its liability to corrode; it would be much more appropriate to put the butter into small, air-tight glass packages, and pack these in safe wooden cates. It does seem as if this might be practicably accomplished, and then no possible harm could come from contact with glass. The finest aroma and flavour of butter ought to be preserved in this way for years. But at present the most practical way of excluding air from butter is to suspend the sacks of butter in brine. By surrounding the butter with strong brine theair is quite effectually excluded. This plan has been tried and found practically to work well. One way is to stop churning the butter when it comes in small granules, of the size of a wheat kernel to that of a pea, wash it, and then, without any working, place it in large tubs or barrels, made so as to hold brine ; fill loosely with granulated butter, then saturate the whole with strong brine and head up tight. This has been found months afterwards to come out in the finest condition. Another way is to have straight tubs, slightly flaring at the top, and the butter, after being worked in the usual way, packed in a muslin sack, made two inches smaller than the tub. The upper head has a tight one-and-a-half-inch plug, the head is removed, and hoops tightly driven. Now strong brine is introduced through the hole in the head, and the tub completely filled, when the plug is driven and the sack of butter is suspended in the brine, and the air excluded. Butter may thus be kept in hot weather.— Irish Farmer,