SECRETARY'S REPORT. 123 



The cream of six pints of milk was separated by a syphon and 

 churned in a glass vessel. Butter was formed in about half an 

 hour ; but the churning was continued for half an hour longer, 

 when the butter had lost its fine yellowish, waxy appearance, and 

 had become pale and soft, while very little liquid remained in the 

 churn. The butter was so soft that it could not be washed and 

 worked until it had remained some hours in cold water. It was 

 pale, still rather soft, and when weighed — 2566 grains. That this 

 was beyond the due quantity of good butter from such a quantity 

 of cream, was apparent when the comparative experiments on the 

 same quantity of the same milk, but only churned till the butter 

 was well formed, gave the following results : 



No. 1. The sweet cream overchurned yielded 



No. 3. The acid cream duly churned yielded 



No. 4. The acid milk and its cream duly churned 

 yielded 



No. 5. The scalded cream duly churned yielded 



The butter of No. 1 tasted insipid, never became firm, and soon 

 turned rancid. It was found to yield a very unusual quantity of 

 both casein and of watery fluid, which could only be separated by 

 melting the butter. 



It is a common opinion in some districts, that by adding hot water 

 to the churn more butter is obtained than by using cold water. 

 Experiments made for this express purpose did not show that the 

 weight increased very much, and it was attended with a percepti- 

 ble deterioration in quality, giving it the appearance of over- 

 churned butter. 



The principal results of the experiments above detailed are — 



1. That the addition of some cold water during churning facili- 

 tates the separation of the butter, especially when the cream is 

 thick and the weather hot. 



2. That cream alone is more easily churned than a mixture of 

 cream and milk. 



3. That butter produced from sweet cream has the finest flavor 

 when fresh, and appears to keep longest without acquiring ran- 

 cidity. 



4. That scalding the cream, according to the Devonshire method, 

 yields the largest quantity of butter ; which, if intended for im- 

 mediate use, is agreeable to the palate and readily saleable ; but if 

 intended for long keeping, is liable to acquire a rancid taste. 



