FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART V. 305 



test the indications are that the average water content for butter will 

 run about 12 per cent, but the water content alone does not entirely 

 govern the overrun. We find the amount of casein runs from .7 to 3.27, 

 and the amount of salt from .5 to 4.5. We also find that the butter 

 high in casein will keep about as well as the butter running low in 

 casein, or, in other words, the amount of casein butter contains is not 

 always an indication of its keeping qualities. It depends more on the 

 condition of the casein or on the condition of the cream, or possibly on 

 the kind of wash water used in washing the butter. For instance, we 

 had one sample of butter containing about 13 per cent water, 3.06 casein 

 and 2.95 of salt. This butter, after being exposed to a warm temper- 

 ature for eight or ten days and then shipped to New York, scored within 

 two points of what it scored at Ames, scoring 94 at Ames and 92 in 

 New York by Mr. Healy. No criticisms were made in either case on 

 the amount of salt. In this case the maker would have an overrun, 

 from the chemical analysis, of almost 23.5 per cent. Now, if this 

 maker had incorporated 15 per cent of water he would have had an 

 overrun of 'over 26.5 per cent, that is, based on the chemical analysis. 

 Undoubtedly, however, there would be as much as 3 per cent loss in 

 the skimming and churning process, which would of course have to 

 come from the 26.5 per cent. We have no methods to determine how 

 much loss is sustained in the process of manufacturing; we can only 

 approximate this by general good workmanship. Usually the maker 

 who makes good butter does good work along other lines, such as close 

 skimming and good churning, but because a man wins a gold medal or 

 makes highly flavored butter, it is no indication that he is getting a 

 large overrun. I believe the American butter-makers are all pretty weak 

 on this particular point. Thei chemical analysis of Danish butter shows 

 about 15 per cent water, while the American and Canadian butter shows 

 about 12 per cent. Thus we find the Dane is making about three pounds 

 more butter to the hundred pounds of butterfat than our Americin 

 butter-makers, providing he has the same amount of casein and salt 

 present in his butter. From my general observations I would think 

 that the average casein content of Danish butter would be much higher 

 than that of American butter, as the methods they use in' not washing 

 their butter very much and at the same time chilling it to give it a dry 

 appearance, would have a tendency to incorporate a high per cent of 

 casein. The salt content of the butter is lighter than ours, as the 

 English market demands a light salted butter. 



It is surprising, however, how much of the butter exhibited at our 

 contest contained one per cent or less of salt. In nearly all cases the 

 butter having a high per cent of salt showed much better keeping 

 qualities. 



In making butter the first consideration should be the quality and 

 the second consideration the quantity. The law, of course, permits 16 

 per cent of water. I would not advocate going to the limit Of the law, 

 as I have no faith or confidence in anyone who is honest because tha 

 law compels him to be honest. We could with safety increase the 

 water content of our butter in this State at least 2 per cent. This would 



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