104 Thirty-Sixth Annual Report of the 



15 with the Victor churn to incorporate the salt. When extreme 

 fancy butter is desired, it is better to avoid the excessive churn- 

 ing or working tlie butter in water. Such butter should l)c 

 churned in middling large granules, gathered in about 30 

 minutes, not hard or very soft but pliable to the hand, the but- 

 termilk removed as quickly as possible and washed with water 

 at about the same temperature as the butter, and salted as soon 

 as the wash water is removed, while the butter is yet soft. It 

 is the water in the butter which dissolves the salt; hence if it 

 is quickly mixed with the butter when it is in a moist condition, 

 less working will be required to get the salt thoroughly dissolved. 

 Many creamerymen are apt in the winter months to. permit the 

 butter to drain too dry and to become somewhat chilled before 

 applying the salt. This invariably means extra working or 

 mottled butter, and a low percent of moistiu-e. If one creamery 

 gets 5 percent more overrun than another creamery or a gain of 

 5 lbs. on every 100 lbs. of butter, it naturally can pay more for 

 butter fat. Some of the best buttermakers in our State, men 

 who are getting one and a half or two cents per pound premium 

 on their butter, are the makers who are thoroughly posted <>n this 

 moisture question, who always get a good overrun and do not 

 go to either extreme. 



DISCUSSION. 



Prof. Dean : — We have been investigating this matter of 

 overrun in Canada. There is a tendency on the part of Can- 

 adian buttermakers to just this fault which Prof. McKay warns 

 you against. Undoubtedly in the winter time the butter is too 

 dry; and it would be well to incorporate 12, 13 or even 14 per- 

 cent of moisture into it and it would be better butter as a conse- 

 quence. But we have no practicable way at the present time 

 whereby the maker may with surety determine the moisture con- 

 tent of the butter. It is a difficult matter even for the chemist 

 accurately to determine the moisture in the butter. The danger 

 is, as I have said to our buttermakers, that the thing will be 

 over done. The man who makes a butter carrying over 16 per- 

 cent is liable to heavy fine, whether the product is sold in the 

 markets of Great Britain or of the United States and the goods 

 are liable to be confiscated. I am glad that Prof. McKay sounded 

 that note of warning about overloading butter with moisture, or 

 as they say in the old country, waterlogging it. 



Mr. Jackson : — Does not butter that contains an abnormal 

 proportion of moisture sell at a less price proportioned to its 

 extra water content? 



