BUTTER. 297 



work. Never allow it to lie and soak unless there is no 

 other way of hardening the butter to a temperature where 

 you can handle it. 



Salt to suit your trade. Work once or twice, as you pre- 

 fer; twice working is preferable, as it makes the nicer-ap- 

 pearing butter. Work just enough to remove the mottled 

 or streaked appearance. When worked twice this can be 

 told at the time by the appearance of the butter. When 

 worked but once it cannot be told until the butter has stood 

 long enough for the salt to dissolve. If worked but once 

 examine the butter the following day, until you make your- 

 self a rule of thumb to work by. I have found this neces- 

 sary. I am compelled to look after this point in my 

 creamery work when the butter is worked but once. Use 

 the kind of butter-package that suits your trade, but always 

 let it be neat. Never send a mussy-looking package to 

 market. You cannot afford to do it. 



ON THE USE OF PURE CULTURES IN BUTTER- 

 AXD CHEESE 31 AKING. 



The ripening of cream is brought about through the action 

 of minute plants, so-called bacteiia. These are practically 

 omnipresent where man lives, and get into the milk during 

 the milking and the handling of the milk and cream in the 

 dairy. They multiply enormously in the cream during the 

 ripening process, owing to the very favorable conditions of 

 life which they find there. Some forms of bacteria are de- 

 sirable and even essential in the manufacture of sour-cream 

 butter; these feed largely on the milk-sugar of the cream, 

 arid decompose this component into lactic acid, which is the 

 characteristic acid of sour cream (as well as of sour milk). 

 -\long with this formation of lactic acid in the cream other 

 complicated, and yet but little understood, decomposition 

 processes take place, the results of which show themselves in 

 the fine aromatic flavor of the butter produced. Other forms of 

 bacteria cause obnoxious fermentations in the cream, and produce 

 a butter of "off" flavor, in aggravated cases making the product 

 unfit *o eat or at least unsalable as a first-class article. The 



