314 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



On the farm, cream is usually ripened by the natural 

 method. In the summer it should be kept in cool water until 

 enough is collected for churning. Then it should be thor- 

 oughly mixed and set out of the water in the morning 

 and allowed to ripen during the day. It can be set back in 

 cold water in the evening and will be ready for churning in 

 the morning. In winter the cream can be warmed up and 

 allowed to ripen and then cooled. The best temperature for 

 ripening is 65° to 70° F. The cream should be cooled to about 

 50° F. again and kept at that temperature for several hours 

 before churning. In the winter one may wish to use a starter 

 to help along the souring process. About one-tenth as much 

 starter as cream is about the right quantity to use, but this 

 depends upon the richness of the cream ; a poor cream should 

 have less starter. Cream is considered ripe when it has a 

 thick, glossy appearance and smells and tastes pleasantly 

 sour. The sourness is sometimes tested by an acid indicator. 

 It should then show an acidity of .5 to .6 per cent. Care 

 should be taken that cream does not become overripe, as 

 overripe cream makes butter that soon becomes rancid. 

 Care should be taken that the cream does not become too 

 sour or the casein will be curdled and will appear as cheesy 

 granules in the butter. Your Experiment Station will be 

 glad to tell you how to make this test. 



Churning. — After the cream has been properly ripened and 

 cooled to the right temperature for at least two hours, it is 

 ready to churn. Churning is the collecting of the fat globules 

 into a mass. It is accomplished by agitating the cream in 

 a vessel called a churn. In the process of churnjng the cream 

 is whipped about from side to side or end to end of the churn, 

 and the fat globules striking against each other stick together 



