Page:Husbandman and Housewife 1820.djvu/24

 situated near a good spring or current of water. The proper receptacles for milk are earthen pans not lined or glazed with lead, or wooden trays. In warm Weather milk should remain in the pail till nearly cool before it is strained, but in frosty weather it should be strained immediately, and a small quantity of boiling water may be mixed with it, which will cause it to produce cream in great abundance, and the more so if the pans or vats have a large surface.

In hot weather the cream should be skimmed from the milk at or before sunrise, before the dairy gets warm, nor should the milk, in hot weather stand in its receptacles longer than twenty four hours. In winter, milk may remain unskimmed thirty six or forty eight hours. The cream should be deposited in a deep pan, kept during summer in a cool place, where a free air is admitted. Unless churning is performed every other day the cream should be shifted daily into clean pans, but churning should be performed at least twice a week, in hot weather; and this should be done in the morning before sun rise, taking care to fix the churn where there is a good draught of air. If a pump churn is used it may be plunged a foot deep in cold water, and remain in that situation during the whole time of churning, which will much harden the butter. A strong rancid flavour will be given to butter if we churn so near the fire as to heat the wood in the winter season.

After the butter is churned it should immediately be washed in many different waters, till it is perfectly cleansed from the milk; and it should be worked by two pieces of wood, for a warm hand will soften it, and make it appear greasy.

Butter will require and endure more working in winter than in summer.