Butter. The newly-made butter was lifted out with a kind of wooden plate. There was a special tub for washing the buttermilk from the butter. It was washed three times and "cupped" each time, lest any drop of the buttermilk remain. It was then salted in a smaller tub. Loaf sugar dissolved in boiling water and a little saltpetre was added if the butter was to be kept for any length of time. If the butter was pale, a yellow stuff called "colouring" was added to the water and the butter washed. This colouring was sold in most shops at the time. When ready, the butter was put in firkins by the most skilled of the women of the "Butter-party", and cupped and packed till about 56lbs was put into the firking. The lid was put on the firkins. A clean white muslin between the butter and the lid preserved the butter form the smell of the timber.Martina Carey