CARE AND RIPENING OF THE CREAM. 1 99 



soon after cooling. In cool weather it may be neces- 

 sary to ripen the cream by warming it to about 65 

 degrees and using five to ten per cent, of a good 

 culture. 



Cream from the separator should be cooled to a 

 temperature of about 65 degrees and have from ten 

 to fifteen per cent, of a good-flavored culture added. 

 Where pasteurization is adopted it is very important 

 to have a good culture, as the flavor of the butter 

 depends nearly altogether upon the character of the 

 organisms introduced into the cream by means of the 

 culture. The culture may be added to the cream as 

 soon as it cools to a temperature of about 70 degrees. 

 If added above this temperature there is danger of 

 abnormal fermentations taking place. It is not a 

 good plan to put the culture in the cream vat and 

 then run in the warm cream. If the culture is first 

 put in the vat, then the cream should be cooled before 

 entering. 



In order to test the acidity of the cream, and to 

 develop a uniform acidity day after day, an acidim- 

 eter should be used. The alkaline solution should be 

 of such strength that each cubic centimeter of the 

 solution required to neutralize the acid will represent 

 one-tenth of a per cent, of acid in the cream or milk, 

 when ten c.c. of cream or milk are used to make a 

 test. Phenol is the indicator needed to show when 

 the acid is all neutralized. To make a test of the 

 acidity of cream, first thoroughly mix the whole vat 

 of cream, then measure ten c.c. of it into a glass or 

 white cup. Add five or six drops of phenol, then 



