BUTTER. 



363 



Table LXV. on p. 306 for the month in which the analysis 

 is made. 



If " appeal to the cow " has been made, or if the mean com- 

 position of the milk was known approximately or exactly, the 

 figure representing the actual composition should be substituted 

 for 3. 



Standards for Butter. The President of the Board of 

 Agriculture has laid down that any butter which contains more 

 than 16 per cent, of water shall be presumed, till the contrary 

 is proved, not to be genuine. 



It is advisable always to calculate the solids not fat and salt, 

 not only as percentages, but also as parts per 100 parts of water 

 present. Table CXXVIII. will show the characteristics of 

 various classes of butter : 



TABLE CXXVIII. 



The figures given are not intended as absolute limits, but 

 rather as indicating the composition of by far the greater number 

 of samples met with. It is seen that the pickled butters contain 

 a very large amount of salt in proportion to the water present. 

 This fact is of great use in distinguishing them from samples 

 which have been purposely watered. 



It is frequently stated, even by " experts," that salt butter 

 contains more water than fresh. Unless the term " salt butter " 

 is applied exclusively to pickled butter, this statement is contrary 

 to fact, as it is found that if, after churning, the butter be divided 

 into two parts, one being worked as fresh, and the other imme- 

 diately salted, the percentage of water is almost identical in the 

 two samples ; after standing, the salt butter will be found to lose 

 water by running out, while the fresh butter undergoes no such 

 loss. It will be found that salt butter when placed on the market 

 contains on the average less water than fresh butter. 



