CHURNING 299 



The churn should be kept clean on the outside as well 

 as on the inside. This is best accomplished by washing it often 

 with hot water and soap or washing powder. It should be 

 painted at least once per year. Two coats of white lead 

 followed by a coat of enamel paint give the churn a sanitary 

 appearance and a smooth surface that is easy to keep clean. 

 Before the paint is applied all loose paint, rust, remnants of 

 cream and alkali should be removed. 



The churn door openings should be equipped, when the 

 churn is not in use, with frames covered with cheese cloth or 

 fine wire mesh netting to keep out flies, dust and other impu- 

 rities. The churn door frames and the doors themselves should 

 be kept in good repair to avoid loss of cream by leaking. Old 

 and worn-out cork packing can easily be replaced by new, and 

 broken door catches should be promptly replaced by new ones. 



If the churn does not drain properly a one-inch hole may 

 be bored in the side of the churn at its lowest place. The churn 

 should be so located that the operator has easy access to the 

 gear end for repairs and for frequent oiling. The churn should 

 be oiled daily. The condition of clutches and rollers should 

 receive constant attention and the starting of the churn should 

 be done with care and not too suddenly, in order to save clutches 

 and cogs. At best the life of the churn is short, but its period 

 of usefulness is much shortened by careless handling' and neg- 

 lect. It is a good plan to take the churn apart in winter when 

 the buttermaker has time and to make such repairs and order 

 such new parts as may be necessary in order to forestall serious 

 trouble and delay during the heavy season. 



Sticky Churns. Occasionally great difficulty is experienced 

 to keep the butter from sticking to sides, ends and rollers of the 

 churns. In many cases this trouble is caused solely by not hav- 

 ing the churn properly chilled, before it is filled with cream, 

 the butter sticking to the warm wood surface. In such cases 

 the recurrence of the difficulty may readily be avoided by thor- 

 oughly chilling the churn with cold water or with ice water 

 before filling it with cream. 



In many other instances, however, the churn does not fe- 

 spond to this treatment and the butter continues to stick, due 



