34 



(At this point, Mrs. Brindle interrupted to say that she had always 

 heard of a strainer skimmer being- used for taking- cream from pans, but 

 she could see now that it caused a waste of the cream and was not g-ood 

 practice. "We are always learning- ! "). The shallow pan cream is then 

 set in a cool place until there is sufficient for a churning-, when it is 

 brought near the stove to ripen (sour) for twenty-four hours. 



Cream on deep cans (Creamers) may be removed from either the top 

 or the bottom of the cans. The milk should be set for 12 to 24 hours in 

 summer, and 24 to 36 in winter for the cream to rise on milk set in deep 

 cans. Mrs. Busy also explained that it is necessary to cool the 

 milk as rapidly as possible to 40 degrees, or not more than 45 

 degrees as soon as convenient after milking, by using ice in the 

 water. And, by the way, she said that every person who makes 

 butter should use, not their finger, but a good glass thermome- 

 ter to find the temperature. The cream is kept in a cool place ; 

 and, when there is enough for a churning, it is warmed and 

 ripened in the same way as cream from shallow pans. 



The ripening (or souring) of cream is a very important point, 

 as this largely decides the flavor of the butter. The ripenmg is 

 caused by very small plants (called bacteria) which grow in the 

 cream. It is important to have the right kind of bacteria seed 

 to put into the cream, so as to get proper plants and proper flavor. 

 Good seed may be bought, or it may drop into the cream 

 from the air. It is best to buy the seed in pure form at first, then 

 grow the plants in pure skim-milk. Add some of this to the 

 cream at each churning, but keep some to put into fresh skim-milk 

 each time. This you must know is the great secret of nice flavor 



Fig. 40. in butter. 



Thermom- (Mrs Brindle said to her neighbor that she did not take much 

 stock in the '• seed " business. She had observed that at most of 

 the places where she had been, the farmer's wife just let the cream take 

 "pot-luck," and most of the time the butter could be eaten ; and, if it 

 couldn't, her owner could always trade it at the store for crackers and 

 tobacco.) 



Mrs. Busy did not take much notice of this talk of Mrs. Brindle's 

 but went on to explain how to tell when cream is ripe. She said : Use 

 your eyes, and see if it is thick, glossy, and velvety in appearance ; use 

 your tongue, and if it tastes slightly sour, it is ripe. Use your nose, and, 

 if it smells pleasant, it is ready to churn. 



Churn rich separator cream at a temperature of about 50° to 52° in 

 summer, and 52° to 56° in winter. Cream from cans and pans should be 

 from four to eight degrees warmer than separator cream as a rule. ],"'-[U.:\ 



We must leave the talk about chiirning until next day, as I hear 

 Tommy calling for his mother. 



No. 6. — Quietness reigned in the stable next day when Mrs. Busy 

 continued her story of a pound of butter : 



The best churn is a simple box or barrel, which is easily kept^clean. 

 These new style air-churns and churns with patent dashers are no im- 

 provement. First, scald the churn to fill the pores of the wood with 



