Prize Essays.—Class III.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2000, 2 May 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

Prize Essays.—Class 111.

Mrs. E. S. Wallino.

BUTTER MAKING. After looking over the columns o! the Rural New Yorker, one would suppose that the subject of batter-making had been entirely exhausted ; but on an examination of the contents of the butter-counter in almost any store in one of our country towns, we walk away with a sigh, and say in our hearts, " Let the good work go on, for surely there is need thereof." Sinoe the many creameries that have sprung up among us bare taken much of the labor of the dairy from the hands of women, it has come to be a question each household may deoide for itself, which is the more profitable, to sell milk or cream, or to manufacture butter ; and the answer will usually depend on the amount of help available. If the supply is adequate to the demand, and the housewife is skilled in the art, it will prove more remunerative to do the work at home ; for, ainoe the creameries take so large a share of the product from the oountry to the city, there ii usually a good demand for a superior article, at fair prices, to supply the home market; but we must be sure that it is a superior artiole, or we had better patronize the orearaery. The first requisite for profitable dairy work is good cows. Not every farmer is able to prooure Jerseys, Ayrshires, or Holsteins, still we can select from the best native cows, and ■tudy to be constantly improving the milking qualities of the herd. Of course, the best food for the dairy cow, in summer, is plenty of grass free from coarse weeds; and for winter, rye pasture. Next to rye, we prize nice bright millet hay, with a ration of ground fetd at milking time. I think we shall find few men, among our Western farmers, at least, who would be willing to take the trouble of washing the odder of each cow before milking 1 still doing so ii a very desirable element of neatness, and it would be well if it were a habit more generally in vogue. If this il not done, • thorough brushing of the cow should be insisted upon, before milking. I have found it almost a necessity to have the milk attained twice; first through * wire ■trainer, th«n through muslin. In regard to deep setting, it has some very decided advantage! which are worthy of our consideration : the first is economy of space ; then the temperature of the milk is less affected by the extreme heat of mid-summer, especially if the cans are surrounded by cold well water, or, better still, by ice water. Another advantage of deep setting is that, by keeping the milk closely covered, we exclude all dust, flies, and impurities of the air. By washing the cans, they can be easily kept sweet and clean. And right here, I must say a word in regard to the thorough cleansing of all milk utensils: if the pails, cans, or pans are not thoroughly purified at each and every washing, it ia useless to attempt to make fine butter, sinoe the milk and cream so readily acquire that sour taint which careless washing ia sure to leave about every artiole used in the milk ro«m. Nothing is so disgusting to a tidy house-wife or dairy-maid as a soar dishcloth ; and sinoe correct dish-washing is so essential an element of our work, it may not be amiss to note the proper mode of performing it. I insist upon having all milk dishes first rinied — with the band, not the dishcloth—in cold or tepid water, then washed with the cloth in very warm water, then scalded and dried with a dean towel, and aired, and, lastly, the dish-cloth should be washed and hung in the air. If this plan is followed, we are sure of having so much of the work properly done. The length of time required for cream to rise will depend upon the mode of setting it : in pans, in a cool cellar, it will usually require 36 hours ; but in cans, cooled with water, I find 24 hours sufficient. [If ioe is used 12 hours ia ample.— Ed] In my own teats the amount of butter made from deep and from shallowing setting was ezaotly the same ; still, the testa were made in the spring, and, no doubt, during the aummer months the deep setting would have much the advantage. I prefer to ohurn as often as every second day, since from very ■our oream we cannot make butter of a delicate flavor. The churning will be more readily done if a thermometer be used, and I am exact about the temperature of the. cream. The wise ones differ in regard to washing the butter, but I prefer to do so if pure cold water can be bad. After the washing, salt at the rate of one ounce for eaoh pound of butter. After salting, work slightly and set in a cool place to cool. In 12 hours work it again, and if the butter milk is not all out, work it the third time ; the finished artiole must be entirely free from a traoe of butter-milk. We must never allow the butter to become soft, lor it ia sure to be salvy, tasteless, and will not ketp. Batter colour? No, thank you ; it is quite nnneoeasary! Let the sweet, fresh grass and rye, color it for us, and away with the poisoning pains that please the eye (?), but not the palate or the stomaoh. I believe wood to be the best material in which to put up the butter for market, but pails and tubs are too large to be convenient for the retail trade, and, so, my friends, how are we to pack and market our product, now that it is ready for your table ?