46 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The cream sold to-day is no longer the thin skimmings of 

 milk set but a few hours, formerly sold as a great favor to 

 the customers in the cities, to whom the name suggested a 

 perfect delicacy, and who were happy with it in the absence 

 of anything better (such cream would be considered nothing 

 better than good 5 per cent milk now), — but a thick and 

 sweet article, which is mucli cheaper than the old one, com- 

 pared at their respective prices. During the fruit season 

 a very large demand is made for it and the prices obtained 

 are so much in advance of the possibilities of buttermaking 

 during the same part of the year as to justify the cultivation 

 of the trade which calls for a 40 per cent butter-fat cream. 

 The best cream is obtained b}^ the separation from the fresh 

 milk, and then the proper management of the cream. It 

 should be cooled to as low a temperature as possible within 

 a short time after it is separated ; 35° is none too cold, 32° is 

 better. The cream trade when at its best fortunately comes 

 at a season of the year when milk is plentiful, and helps to 

 work oil' the surplus milk to advantage. 



With this growing demand for cream, the producer will 

 see at once the importance of making a milk of a high per- 

 centage butter fat ; but with this growing demand there is a 

 great temptation for some unscrupulous dealers to lengthen 

 their supply by using coloring matter and some of the thick- 

 eners that are on the market, palming off an inferior article, 

 containing a small amount of butter fet and appearing to 

 contain a little more than standard amount of fat. 



An illustration that came under my own observation this 

 season will make this clear. In my city of Springfield there 

 is a dealer who had a very large cream trade, — in fact, this 

 was his particular business. I noticed that his trade was 

 increasing, and a number of my customers were leaving, and 

 buying his cream. I bought some of his cream, and I 

 found that it appeared very heavy, but did not show up the 

 percentage of butter fat that it appeared to contain. I 

 thought there was a sectet in handling which I did not 

 understand. I was then putting out a 40 per cent cream ; 

 I increased my percentage of fat to 45 per cent, and even 

 then my cream appeared thin beside his. It was not long 



