ABC Butter Making: A Hand-Book for the Beginner — Text and Context

Temperature as a Guiding Principle

Throughout the excerpts, Burch returns repeatedly to the importance of temperature control. In the chapter on thermometers, he quotes Frederic Sumner: “There is no more use in trying to run a dairy without a good tested thermometer than there would be to attempt sailing a vessel without a rudder.” He dismisses the “thumb-rule” of earlier generations, noting that with butter prices at fifty cents to a dollar a pound, guesswork is no longer acceptable. Specific temperatures appear in the churning section: cream should be churned at 60 degrees, and the churn should start slowly. The maxims reinforce this, advising that “cream rises best in a falling temperature.” Burch’s emphasis on measurement over intuition is a recurring thread, distinguishing his handbook from older, more casual farm practices.

Packing, Print Butter, and the Market

Burch devotes considerable attention to the final stages of butter making, where presentation affects sale price. He describes the risk of “woody taste” from wooden packages and recommends soaking them in strong brine for 24 to 48 hours, then scalding. A more reliable solution is lining the package with parchment paper, which “prevents the butter from taking on a woody flavor” and excludes air. He notes that parchment paper costs about thirty cents a pound and is sufficient for several hundred pounds of butter. For print butter, he mentions a machine that stamps out half-pound and one-pound blocks “very quickly and quite artistically,” with carved blocks that can imprint sheaves of wheat, acorns, or the maker’s monogram. He advises packing each churning separately to maintain uniform color and solidity, and sprinkling salt a quarter-inch deep on top before sealing the cover.

Maxims and the Beginner’s Mindset

The section titled “MAXIMS FOR A B C BUTTER-MAKERS” distills the handbook’s advice into concise rules. Among them: “Test your cows,” “Never fill the churn over half full,” “Never touch the butter with your hands,” and “Never churn fresh unripened cream with ripened cream.” These maxims reflect Burch’s concern with common beginner errors—overfilling, contamination, and improper mixing of cream batches. The inclusion of a separate chapter by Mr. N. Bigalow on “How to Make Good Butter” suggests that Burch valued multiple expert voices. The overall structure, with its numbered chapters and index of illustrations, positions the book as a reference to be consulted during actual dairy work, not merely read.

Readers should note that the excerpts cover only the latter part of the text, including packing, thermometers, and maxims, but omit earlier chapters on milking, care of milk, and the milk room. The handbook’s full value lies in its sequential treatment of the entire butter-making process, from cow to customer. Burch’s advice is grounded in late-nineteenth-century American dairy practice, and his insistence on precision—especially with temperature—remains relevant for anyone interested in traditional butter production.

There’s something tender about that 1888 butter handbook’s insistence on patience—watching the cream, guarding the temperature. It makes me think of my grandmother’s quiet way with livestock, choosing each cow by temperament as much as lineage. That old companion volume, How to Select Cows or, The Guenon system simplified, explained, and practically applied — Reading Companion, sits beside it on my shelf like a whispered secret between two friends. Both speak of observation, not force.