The Art of Butter-making.

Southland Times, Issue 4185, 28 November 1881, Page 3

The Art of Butter-making.

Dr Voelcker delivered a series of four lectures on the " Principles of Butter-making," in the working dairy erected in the " Royal" showyard at Derby, in July last. His remarks were to a great extent varied on each of the fonr afternoons, and we give the substance of the discourses.

Before speaking of the circumstances which spoil butter-makiug in this country, it is desirable that I should give you some explanation of the composition of milk. Milk, then, is a perfect food in a concentrated form, and contains everything necessary for the sustenance of young animals ; and here I would remark that no more serious mistake can be made than to withhold this most natural food from the young, especially as it contains all /the elements neceseary for bone-making. Cream consists of a certain proportion of

"water and fatty matters, and a small proportion of casein. It would, of course, be much better for the purpose of the butter-maker if this latter element were absent : and if that were the case, the principal part of the difficulties' in the way of butter-making would be at once overcome, because it is due to the rapidity with which casein turns eour that butter obtains the rancid taste which we sometimes detect. If by any means we could separate the fatty matter from this casein or card matter, we should get excellent butter. It is this curd matter which causes all the ■ difficulty, as I have just intimated ; and it is on this account that I believe dairy farmers will never obtain the fust quality butter from -. whole milk, certainly not the same quality as that which is obtainable fiom cream. The composition of cream varies greatly, and the same remark applies to the fatty matters of which it is constituted. This circumstance I attribute in a very, large decree to the feeding of the cows. Nobody > for instance, can feel any astonishment that when cows are fed upon turnips, swedes, and mangels, there is a more 01 less disagreeable flavor in the butter made from the cream produced from the milk of these cows. In my opinion, the best flavored butter is made from the milk of cow "fed^ not upon the richest pasture, but upon what is generally considered poor pasture ; that is to say, pasture with scanty herbage, SUCh as that to be found upon the hilly land Which abounds in this country. By rich pastures I mean pastures which produce a urge bulk of grass, but which are not composed of a great variety of herbage. The richer the quality of the cream the richer will be the quality of the butter made from it. It has been said, with a good deal of truth, that by over-manuring pasture land we reduce the fine quality of the butter made from the milk of cows fed upon such pasture. My belief is that the finest quality of batter is produced from pasture which contains a great variety of herbs, some of which might even be ranked as weeds. The question is, Can ordinary pasture produce first quality butter? and! to -that question I answer, " Decidedly, if you take proper precautions to prevent the cream turning sour before it is churned." This sourness, let me repeat, is the great hindrance in making high class butter. Many persons deem this a small matter, and unconsciously allow the cream to get somewhat sour before making batter ; but if you desire to produce good, sweet, keeping butter, you must churn cream as sweet as possible. This you will be inclined to say, is an extremely simple matter ; and I am almost ashamed to speak, of such simple matters in the presence of so many experienced persons ; but my experience is that simple things are the most difficult to make people learn. With most of us there is a peculiar tendency to aim after some big thing and to neglect the little thing, notwithstanding that it is on the latter that so much of our daily comfort depends. It may appear to be a matter of little moment tp prevent cream getting sour ; but when we remember the enjoyment of lasting first quality butter, as against the feeling experienced in having to eat rancid and ill- . flavored butter, it does not seem so small a ■■ matter. But how are you to prevent cream getting sour ? In the first place, you must : carefully look after all the people employed in and about the dairy to see that they always have; the importance of cleanliness before their eyes ; and above all see that those who milk the coifs do so with clean hands.

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