296 DAIRYING. 



ble, as soon as practicable, and hold at that temperature 

 until the day before you wish to churn, when it should be 

 warmed to a temperature that will give the right acidity by 

 the time you wish to churn. This temperature will depend 

 on the kind of cream, whether separator cream or cream 

 from some gravity process. Cream from shallow setting 

 may be sufficiently ripened when taken from the milk. I 

 recommend the use of Prof. Farrington's acid tablets for 

 testing the acidity of cream (see p. 270). They are a great 

 help to a beginner. 



Churn at as low a temperature as you can. This will de- 

 pend on the per cent of fat in the cream. Rich cream can 

 be churned at a much lov.-er temperature than cream poor 

 in fat. Cream from deep, cold setting may be churned at 

 58" to 62°; and thick, rich cream from shallow setting at 

 a much lower temperature. An ironclad rule cannot be 

 made that will fit all cases. The separator will give cream 

 containing various per cent of fat, from 15 to 40 per cent. 

 Separator cream containing 15 per cent fat will need to be 

 churned at about the same temperature as deep, cold setting 

 cream. Separator cream containing 40 per cent can be 

 churned at a temperature of 50, can be gathered at 50 , so 

 the buttermilk will draw at that temperature. A low tem- 

 perature gives the most exhaustive churning. At this tem- 

 perature the buttermilk should contain no more fat than 

 the average separator skim-milk. Cream containing a large 

 per cent of fat does not develop acid as fast as cream with 

 more milk in it. Cool cream for churning about two hours 

 before, so as to let the butter-fat have time to solidify or 

 harden. This gives a more waxy texture to the butter. 



Stop the churn when the butter granules are the size of 

 wheat. If the granules are too small there is danger of a 

 loss from its passing through the strainer. Wash no more 

 than is necessary to remove the buttermilk. The colder it 

 is churned the less washing is needed. When butter gathers 

 at 54 one washing is sufficient ; if at 62" to 64°, two or 

 three washings will be needed. Washing removes some 

 of the delicate flavor or aroma. Remove the water from 

 the churn as soon as possible — as soon as it has done its 



