246 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



Working the Butter. For working the butter some form of 

 table worker is best to use. The butter bowl and paddle never give 

 as good results because the butter will almost invariably be greasy, 

 owing to the sliding motion of the paddle over the butter. The table 

 workers commonly used are of two kinds one having a stationary 

 bed and a roller, either corrugated or smooth, arranged so that it can 

 be passed back and forth over the surface of the butter; the other 

 having a movable bed, revolving on a center, usually under two cor- 

 rugated rollers. Both of these forms will do good work if the opera- 

 tor understands their use. 



Suggestions as to Working. If the salt and butter have been 

 mixed in the churn the butter can be placed on the working table and 

 the working begun at once. After the butter has been pressed out 

 with the roller it should be divided in the center, one part being laid 

 over onto the other and the rollers passed over again. The process 

 should be repeated until the butter assumes what is termed a waxy 

 condition. If the working is continued for too long a time the butter 

 will become salvy, having the appearance of lard, and will lose its 

 granular structure, becoming weak-bodied. The firmness of the 

 butter must be taken into account in determining how long it should 

 be worked. Usually the firmer the butter the more working it will 

 stand and the more time it will need to thoroughly incorporate the 

 salt and bring out the waxy condition. 



Testing Saltiness While Working. During the process of 

 working, the butter should be tested frequently to determine its salti- 

 ness, and if by mistake too much salt has been added it can readily 

 be removed from the butter by pouring a little cold water over it as 

 the working continues. The water washes out the excess of salt. If 

 the butter should contain too little salt, more can readily be added 

 during the process of working. It is best practice to about half finish 

 the working and then let the butter stand for about twenty minutes 

 or half an hour before completing. This gives the salt an additional 

 chance to dissolve, and there is less liability of mottles in the finished 

 product. 



The Remedy for Mottles. If after standing a few hours the 

 butter is found to show a mottled appearance, this can be overcome 

 by putting it on the worker and giving it an additional working. 

 The mottled appearance indicates that some step in the working of 

 the butter has not been thoroughly done. It is due to an uneven dis- 

 tribution of salt, and possibly to the presence of casein that has not 

 been washed from the butter, the action of the salt on the casein 

 forming lighter spots in the butter. The best remedy for mottles is 

 to thoroughly wash the butter when it is in granular form before the 

 salt is added, and then to work it until it has reached the waxy condi- 

 tion alluded to. 



Water Content of Butter. If the dairyman is using the com- 

 bined churn and worker, the principles of working remain practically 

 the same. The butter must be watched to determine just when it 

 has been worked enough and to determine its condition in regard to 

 the salt it contains. If butter is worked in the presence of water it 



