BUTTER MOISTURE-TESTS 



The pure food law states that butter that contains more than sixteen 

 per cent of water shall not be offered for sale. This makes it necessary 

 for the creameryman to have a test whereby he can determine the 

 amount of moisture in his butter. Without such test the butter-maker 

 has only two alternatives, — either to run the risk of breaking the law 

 or else to make a dry butter. The first of these alternatives needs 

 no discussion. 



As to the second point, the making of too dry butter entails a great 

 loss on the creamery owner. We shall suppose, for example, that a 

 certain factory makes i,ooo pounds of butter per day which tests ii 

 per cent moisture. An equally good butter, testing 14 per cent mioisture, 

 might just as easily be made. This means a loss of 3 per cent of the 

 day's output, or 30 pounds of butter. At the price of 25 cents per 

 pound, the creamery owner would lose $7.50 per day. Butter contain- 

 ing 14 per cent of moisture not only scores as high as a drier butter 

 (other things being equal), but is preferred by the consumer. Within 

 reasonable and just limits it is the right of the creamery owner to get 

 all that he can for his product. It is deplorable that for the lack of a 

 moisture-testing apparatus many creameries in. New York state are 

 sustaining as heavy a loss as that just indicated. 



In any manufactured product a uniform output is desirable, and 

 this is especially true of an edible product. By frequently testing the 

 moisture content of butter, a much more uniform and therefore more 

 valuable butter can be made. Such a test should be made at least three 

 times a week until the maker has perfect control of the method of manu- 

 facture which gives best results. After this a test may be made as often 

 as necessary, but should be made never less than once a week. 



Requirements of a butter moisture-test apparatus 



A butter moisture-test apparatus for use in creameries should ful- 

 fill the following four requirements: 



1. It should be reasonable in price. This statement needs little 

 elaboration. No matter how good the apparatus, if the price is pro- 

 hibitive it will be little used. 



2. It should be reasonably accurate, otherwise wrong results will 

 be obtained. If low results are obtained, butter containing more than 

 the legal percentage of moisture may be put on the market. This will 



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