340 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



If all the butter made through the country at present was first 

 class, It would no doubt supply the demand, but it is not. 



Now we come to another point, why can't we make butter always 

 alike and equal to Elgin ? With cows, grass and water as good as they 

 have, it can be done if we will learn the cause of our failure. It may 

 be the feed, or water, or bad surroundings, tainted cans, or some other 

 cause before reaching- the creamery, 



A dealer may find poor butter, off flavor, yet be unable to give the 

 exact cause, which is no easy matter, as there are so many causes. 



Take the present exhibit here, and your judge though an expert 

 will find it hard to state the cause of each defect, but if he is informed 

 regarding all previous conditions and handling, he will be very apt to 

 point it out. 



Few of us realize how readily milk, cream and butter become af- 

 fected by unseen particles, which often furnish starters of the worst 

 kind ; a little impure water or a little dirt can, in due time, play the mis- 

 chief to flavor, consequently creamery men should be scrupulously clean 

 around their factories and see that every vessel used by them and their 

 patrons is perfectly clean also. 



There are other things requisite as well as flavor, though it is the 

 chief "body" as now used on your card, and is important, especially in 

 summer. In cold weather, some extra working, which of course softans 

 the "body" will not hurt as it enables the grocer to cut it out better. 

 Mottles we find a continual drawback and many customers believe the 

 white spots to be lard, but the}- are unsalted butter. [More working 

 will cause them to disappear. Xatural June color is about the right 

 shade. 



Missouri tubs are not equal to the Elgin tubs : some of the former 

 are quite poor and rough looking and so open that when butter stands 

 in them over night, the brine leaks out on the floor and the tubs lose in 

 weight. The covers are ill-fitting and the tins not properly placed. 

 They should reach down and tack into the hoop. 



I should have mentioned that solid packing is important, if butter 

 has cooled off too much before putting into the tub, unless pressed down 

 well, it leaves spaces that breed mould, if there is any around the tub. 



Tubs should be filled level. It is necessary that paper lining should 

 be used, and it ought to lap about one inch over the butter, a clotji 

 covering on the butter and a paper one over it, which helps to retain the 

 fnoisture and excludes the air. A paper covering next to the butter 

 causes it to wrinkle up and Iqok bad. 



The keeping quality of butter is a most important point, yet ope 

 much over-looked bv the butter maker, but without it the dealer can not 



