PRINCIPLES APPLICABLE IN DAIRYING. 71 



WHITE SPECKS IN BUTTER. 



Mottled butter and "white specks" are sometimes confounded, 

 and by some are considered the same, but there is a difference. 

 Mottled or streaky butter has been explained as being caused by 

 an unequal distribution of the salt ; but "white specks" have a 

 different cause or causes. Sometimes, when the milk is set in 

 shallow pans, they result from the cream drying on top, so there 

 are small portions that are so hard that they do not churn into 

 butter. These particles do not take the color like the rest of the 

 butter, and the "specks" are thus caused. This may be remedied 

 by carefully straining the cream when it is put into the churn. 



Another cause of "white specks" : When milk is skimmed 

 off with the cream, as is usually done in the case of deep cold 

 setting this milk settles to the bottom, gets overripe, and forms a 

 curd, which will be so hard as not to break up in churning and 

 will not run of 7 * with the buttermilk, but will remain with the 

 butter as "white specks" or "flecks", as they are sometimes 

 called. This can be remedied by not letting the cream stand so 

 long before churning, or by frequent and thorough stirring of the 

 cream during the process of ripening. Those hard white parti- 

 cles can also be taken out by straining the cream. 



Mottled, streaked, or speckled butter will not sell well in 

 market ; therefore it is the part of wisdom to guard against such 

 conditions. 



COLORING BUTTER. 



Butter should be colored to suit the person for whom it is in- 

 tended. The general market demands that butter should have a 

 color, the year round, about like that of grass butter in June. 

 Doubtless any of the standard butter colors are good. The color- 

 ing matter should be put in the cream after it is all ready for the 

 churn. When the butter would be nearly white if not colored, 

 as is often the case in winter, about ateaspoonful of color is usual- 

 ly needed for eight pounds of butter. In summer in times of 

 drought and in the fall, when cows are fed partly on dry feed, some 

 coloring may be needed, but very little. One will soon learn by 

 experience how much to use. It is well to be cautious, as it is 

 better to have too little color than too much. 



SALTING AND WORKING BUTTER. 



Good, fine dairy salt should be used, and never the com- 

 mon coarse barrel salt that is used by many. The salting may 

 be done in the churn when the butter is in the granular form, 

 if- it is a box or barrel churn. The salt can be sifted on the but- 



