Rhea C. Scott

“ Ripening of Cream.—The ripening of milk or cream is the natural souring which takes place under proper conditions and which gives butter its characteristic flavor. The quality of butter depends, to a large extent, upon proper ripening. Where hand skimming is practised, set separate milkings in cool, well-ventilated places and allow to stand from twelve to eighteen hours for the cream to rise. Skim the cream off with a cup or large spoon, put it into a can which is kept in a cool place at a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or below. ”

“ A common practice among some farm women is to put the milk in shallow, uncovered pans which are exposed to dust, flies, and the odors which frequent the pantry and kitchen. Such pans are allowed to stand until the milk clabbers and a thick leathery sheet of cream is formed on the top. Good butter cannot be made from milk or cream handled in this manner. A deep, narrow vessel known as a shot-gun can is recommended for use in ripening cream or milk because it is easily handled, washed and can be covered. ”

“ It is hard to determine the right amount of fat and protein to be fed to the chickens, for this varies to suit conditions and the purpose for which it is fed.
Young chicks should be fed a dry or wet feed forty-eight hours after they are hatched. Nature has already provided them with yolk of egg, which must be digested before they are given more food. Their first feed must be fine grit or a drink of sour milk. ”

“ There can be no real improvement in social life in the country unless there is leisure time to be devoted to uplifting, cultural, and recreational purposes. The only way in which this may be obtained is by means of labor-saving and time-saving appliances. The articles here described are intensely practical and may be readily made in any home at a nominal cost. To make two blades of grass grow where one formerly grew is certainly a very valuable achievement ”

“ The more whey that is removed the better will be the flavor and keeping qualities of the cheese. The curd should drain out and not dry out. Mix in the salt to suit the taste by using a butter worker or a pail and potato masher. Ordinarily about one ounce of salt to four pounds of curd is sufficient. The cheese is now ready to be run through the food chopper and molded. Sometimes it is packed tightly into screw top jars or jelly glasses with tight covers, but usually the cheese is molded into shape and wrapped in parchment paper, surrounded by tin foil to exclude the air. ”

“ It not only saves time and fuel but keeps the woman from standing over the hot fire, and there are many foods that are better when cooked at a lower temperature. The principle of the fireless cooker is to retain the heat by boiling the food in a vessel with a tight cover and placing it in the cooker in the same vessel, thus keeping the heat from escaping. An outside container may be made to accommodate one or more cooking vessels. A cheap but efficient fireless cooker may be made of a tightly built wooden box, a barrel, or a tin lard can as shown in the illustration. ”

“ It is well to be familiar with the different values of foods fed to the chickens, for they like a change in their rations, and it is necessary that they have it. If the food contains too much fat, the hens will become too fat, which will lessen their usefulness as egg producers ”

“ The printing and wrapping of butter cannot be emphasized too strongly, for a good appearance is fundamental to obtaining good markets for the butter. It is very much easier to get a good market for butter packed neatly in parchment paper than it is for that wrapped in a cloth as is the case in so many country homes. It is very important that a good grade of parchment paper should be used for wrapping butter and this can be bought from firms handling dairy supplies or it may be ordered by mail. ”

“ A good location is the first consideration in the building of a poultry house. Select a well drained spot, facing the southeast and large enough to make comfortable quarters for the chickens.
The house is built of any kind of durable and well-seasoned lumber. The kind of material used in making the floor will depend largely on the soil and the money to be spent in the construction of the house. Board floors are often used but they are more susceptible to rats. Cement floors are more easily cleaned and more sanitary, and not so expensive in a locality where plenty of gravel is available. ”

“ Women’s organizations and the agents of the Home Demonstration Work, together with other agencies, have done much to direct attention along this very important line and in many communities labor-saving devices of a most ingenious character have been developed. ”

“ Either a lamp, candle, or lantern may be used on the inside of the box. Holding the egg in front of the box and letting the light shine through it will show the condition of the egg. An infertile egg will be clear, while a fertile egg has a spider-like center with threads leading out from it. All infertile eggs must be removed.
Poultry is classified as the egg breeds, the meat breeds, the general-purpose breeds, and the ornamental breeds.
The egg breeds are small fowls which mature quickly. They [Pg 87] are very active, but not good chickens to be used for setting purposes. ”

“ Too much stirring will cause the mass to drain slowly. After this heating process the mixture of whey and curd is poured into the draining cloth; usually muslin or cotton sheeting is stretched over the draining rack, which is especially constructed for this purpose. Such a rack as shown in the illustration can be made very easily and at a small cost. Thirty pounds of milk per rack may be easily handled. Perhaps, in handling the milk in this quantity, it would be advisable to make the rack somewhat longer than the one illustrated. ”

“ Butter is salted to improve the flavor, to serve the market purposes and to some degree to act as a preservative. In working the butter, the pile of granules is pressed flat with the lever, and the flattened mass of butter turned over about 12 or 14 times until the edges of butter, when broken, have a granular appearance similar to a broken half-baked potato. Too much working destroys the grain and the edges when broken apart will have a slightly stringy appearance, while too little working gives a streaked or mottled butter. ”

“ If the outside container is of wood it must be lined on the inside with asbestos or heavy paper to keep out the air.
The nest may be a galvanized or tin bucket of a size which will admit of three inches of packing between the outside container and the nest. The sides and bottom of the nest are covered with asbestos to prevent the scorching or the burning of the packing.
The packing must be of some material through which the heat cannot easily escape. Cork, sawdust, excelsior, hay, or shredded newspaper may be used to an advantage. ”

“ Change this diet after a week to a dry ration—for example, two parts of cracked wheat, two parts of oat flakes, four parts of cracked corn, one part of rice, and one part of millet. Plenty of green food and sour milk should be fed to them. Feed them often, but in small proportions. Let them take plenty of exercise. It is important to keep the hen up and allow the chicks to run out until they are weaned.
[Pg 89] DRY MASH HOPPER NO. 1
There are many kinds of dry mash hoppers on the market but it is difficult to find one that is not wasteful. ”

“ The wood box made of old dry goods boxes should appeal strongly to the home. It can be kept by the stove or on the porch or in some convenient place to be reached, and to be filled by the man before he goes to his daily work. A lid will not only cover up the contents of the box, but it will serve as a comfortable seat to be used while preparing the meal.
[Pg 38] Materials:
1 packing box, 24” deep × 231⁄2” wide × 32” long. 1 pair 2” (butt) hinges with 5⁄8” screws to fasten on top. 1⁄4 lb. 8-penny nails to make box. Sandpaper and stain. Dimensions:
Body: 1 box 24” deep × 231⁄2” wide × 32” long. ”

“ This warming is done by setting the can in a vessel of hot water. Frequent stirring is necessary during the ripening period. Cream properly ripened has a velvety and glossy appearance, with a mild but pleasant sour taste. When hand skimming is not practised the churning will have to be done more frequently to prevent the milk from becoming too sour and giving the butter a bad flavor. ”

“ As a substitute the device shown in the following illustration is suggested as being more convenient and sanitary in every way. It not only provides a place for the bag to hang, but it also has a shelf on which the pan sits to catch the drippings from the bag. The legs are adjustable; hence it is easily taken apart and kept in a small space. This makes the strainer especially convenient to the Canning Club Agent as she goes her daily rounds teaching the housekeepers the art of jelly-making. It can be easily made at home and at a little cost. ”

“ The ultimate end in the making of farm butter is to supply a delicate food for the family and to obtain a profit from the surplus. To do this, it is necessary to create a demand by giving satisfaction to your customers. This can be done by putting up butter superior in quality and attractive in appearance.
[Pg 104] BUTTER WORKER
A very useful appliance, and easily operated, making the butter into a close-grained mass without injuring the texture of it. ”

“ The general-purpose breeds occupy a medium place between the egg and meat breeds as to size, egg production, and meat production. For these characteristics they are especially recommended to the farmer who wishes both egg and meat fowls. They lay a number of brown-shelled eggs and they make splendid mothers. ”

“ Draw lines on the end of the wood and across the center at equal distances from the corners and with the surface straight on both sides. Care must be taken not to split the corners while making a taper.
Plugs.—Plugs are pieces of tapered wood used as a stopper, such as in the illustration of Jelly Strainer No. 2. When plugs are to be used, the holes must be made in the wood before the pieces are put together.
“Penny.”—This term is a corruption of “pound” and used in speaking of different kinds of nails. For example, eight-penny nails means that one thousand of them weigh eight pounds. ”

“ Neufchatel Cheese.—Fresh clean milk is required to make a high-grade Neufchatel cheese. In no case should the milk be over twelve hours old. A slow development of a clean acid flavor is demanded. The addition of a commercial lactic starter in small [Pg 110] amounts aids in obtaining curd free from objectionable ferments. Too much starter will produce acid too rapidly and give a rough mealy curd. A very satisfactory product may be secured, if the milk is reasonably clean, without using any starter. ”

“ It may be built of the desired length and made to hold the required amount of dry mash. The most important detail in the building of this hopper is the slope of the bottom which must be at an angle of forty-five degrees with the wall of the henhouse. It must be built well off the floor with a roost placed for the hens to stand on while they are feeding. This will keep the litter out of the hopper. The wire netting must be of one-quarter inch square mesh which is fastened to the hopper and stretched to the bottom of the trough at its lowest point. ”

“ The churn is then drawn near the worker and the butter granules removed with paddle or ladle and placed on worker. The hands must never touch butter for sanitary reasons and because they will give the butter a greasy appearance. As soon as the butter is placed on the worker, one ounce of fine, clean salt to a pound of butter is sprinkled uniformly over the butter. ”

“ An 181⁄2” square frame is made of wood and nailed on top of the posts. The corners of this square are mitered or lapped over and tacked together. Use a biscuit pan to fit in top of the square to hold the water. The whole refrigerator should stand in a larger pan which catches the drippings from the cover and keeps away the insects. The screen door is made 39” long × 16” wide, which is joined to the frame with hinges and fastens with a hook. Three movable shelves with perforations in them are made of zinc. Cover the whole frame with wire screening to protect it from the flies. ”

“ Frequently farmers of the highest type will equip their farms with the latest and best implements and machinery for their work and yet will fail to provide their homes with equipment equally as essential and desirable for the work of the women members of their households. ”

“ Hatching and Rearing.—There are two methods used in the hatching and rearing of chickens—the natural, when the chicks are hatched and reared by a hen, and the artificial, when they are hatched in incubators and brooded in houses indoors or out-of-doors. The natural method will be found to be more satisfactory when dealing with a small number of chickens. ”

“ All the other cleats must be nailed 8 inches apart. In each of the sprouting trays a hole 1⁄4 of an inch in diameter is bored to allow the water to drain out from the tray.
[Pg 96]
[Pg 97] Dust Boxes.—Dust boxes are necessary during the winter months to keep the chickens from wallowing in the dirt, as this is the method used by them to cleanse themselves. A box four feet by four feet will be large enough to accommodate fifty chickens. Fine, light, dry dust should be kept in these boxes, and they should be placed in the sunlight and where they may be easily reached by the chickens. ”