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HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS. 107

scum will form on it, which gives it an unpleasant taste.
And if you leave a pan of milk till the cream is covered
with spots of mould, you had better throw it away than
put it in, as it will spoil the taste of a whole churning.
If you have no way of keeping your cream cool in hot
weather, it ought to be churned tiwice a week; the earlier
in the morning the better. Always put cold water
in churn the night before you use it, and change
it in the morning just before you put in the cream.
When the butter is gathering, take off the lid of the
churn to let the heated air escape, and move it gently;
have your butter-ladle and pan scalded and cooled; take
out the butter without touching it with your hands, and
work it till all the milk is out; scrape some lumps of
salt, and work in; cover it up, and set away in a cool
place till the next morning, when work it again.

If you have neither an ice or spring house, a box by
the side of the pump, with a cover over it, is very convenient
to put cream and butter down the well; put
them in tin kettles with covers to fit tight, and fasten
them to strong tarred ropes twenty feet long. The air
of a well will keep butter sweet for several weeks in the
hottest weather. It is best to have one kettle or basket
to put the butter in that is used at the table; it should
be deep enough to hold five or six plates, each covered
with a saucer. It can be kept in this way as firm and
sweet as in an ice-house. You can have a separate
kettle to put a large lump of butter in for seasoning vegetables.
If you print butter for home use, it is not necessary
to weigh it; make it out in little lumps that will
weigh about half a pound; scald the print and ladle,
and put them in cold water; as you print each lump,
lay it on a dish.

In winter it is more difficult to have good butter, as
much depends on the food of the cows; the milk should
be kept in a cellar, where it will not freeze; if you have
a safe to keep it in, it need not be covered; cream takes
much longer to rise in winter; after it has stood two
days, to put it on the top of a moderately heated stove
will assist it; when it is hot, set it away to skim the