3/8 THE ESSENTIALS OE AGRICULTURE 



and then poured into the churn. The cream is then agitated 

 until the granules reach the size of wheat or corn kernels. 

 This usually requires from thirty to forty-five minutes. The 

 buttermilk is then drawn off, and water is added equal to the 

 amount of buttermilk. The water should be from 2 to 5 de- 

 grees colder than the buttermilk. The butter is washed by 

 revolving the churn several times ; the water is then drawn off, 

 and the butter is salted in the proportion of about one ounce of 

 salt to each pound of butter. After salting, the butter should 

 be worked until the salt is thoroughly dissolved and surplus 

 water is removed. Butter that is not washed soon develops bad 

 flavor and odor. Butter coloring is often added to cream to color 

 the butter. The coloring used is a harmless vegetable product 

 and does not color the buttermilk. 



493. Babcock test. The Babcock test is a simple method of 

 determining the per cent of fat in milk and milk products. By 

 the use of the Babcock tester (Fig. 191) one can determine the 

 richness of milk given by each cow in a herd. The test affords 

 a method by which milk and cream are bought and sold on the 

 basis of the butter fat they contain. Few inventions have done 

 more to improve an industry than the Babcock test has done to 

 improve the dairy industry. 



QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 



1. How much butter fat is produced by a cow which gives 10,000 

 pounds of average milk in a year? How much sugar? How much casein? 

 How much albumen? How much ash? 



2. Is a quart of fresh milk heavier or lighter than a quart of pure water, 

 the two being at the same temperatures ? What bearing has this fact upon 

 the problem of why cream rises upon milk ? 



3. What is the difference between butter and butter fat? 



4. Why is the barrel churn superior to the dasher churn? 



5. Describe the whole process of churning. 



6. Secure from a farmer or from a cream-purchasing firm a statement 

 of the amount of cream sold by one farmer in your locality in one year. 

 Find how many cows he used, and determine his income from this source. 

 If possible, get records from several kinds of cows and compare the income. 



