JERSEY CATTLE BREEDERS. 367 



and seriously affects the intere.-t of that large class of our agricultural people who 

 are engaged in the dairy business. Even if the butter substitute be as wholesome 

 and palatable as the genuine article, and if it be sold under its proper name, as is, 

 indeed, often the case, yet it tends to overrun the market and thns cheapen the 

 price of real butter. 



The contents of butter in water varies within wide limits. This is due lo 

 many causes, but chiefly depends on the treatment of the butter subsequent to 

 churning. It is the practice of some to " work " the butter after churning only 

 enough to roughly incorporate the salt. In this way much water and curd are re- 

 tained. Others wash the butter well to remove the curd, and thus a butter poor in 

 curd and rich in water is obtained. Still others — and this is the proper method — 

 wash well to remove the curd and then work well to remove the water. This treat- 

 ment produces a butter poor in water and curd. The amount of water which a 

 good butter should contain should not exceed 12 per cent. 



In thirty-one butters, as seen by the following table, the highest percentage of 

 water is 14.31, and the lowest 7.34. 



Foreign analysts have found in some instances the percentage of water to be 

 above 25. It is generally acknowledged by these chemists that 12 per cent, water 

 is a just limit, beyond which a good butter ought not to go. 



Perhaps it would be somewhat arbitrary to say that more water than this would 

 indicate an intentional adulteration, but manufacturers should not send their pro- 

 ducts to market until the water has been reduced to 12 per cent, or less. 



SATUKATION EQUIVALENT. 



The saturation equivalent is the amount of potassium or sodium hydrate neces- 

 sary to saponify a given weight of the fat. The fat is prepared for saponification 

 by melting, allowing curd, salt, and water to subside, and then filtering. An ap- 

 proximate semi-normal solution of the alkali in alcohol is employed for the saponi- 

 fication. The alcohol employed should be previously filtered through bone black, 

 otherwise the solution will be too highly colored for delicate titration. 



The saturation equivalent is expressed in abstract numbers, obtained by divid- 

 ing the molecular weight of the alkali employed by the number of milligrammes 

 of it used in saponification. The numbers for the two hydrates thus become the 

 same. 



It appears from the table that the saturation equivalent is an almost certain 

 test of pure butter. Its range in the analyses made is from 249.5 to 239.8, while in 

 the oleomargarine it rises to 284.7. 



SOLUBLE AND INSOLUBLE FAT ACIDS. 



The best proof of a poor or adulterated butter is in the relative proportion of 

 soluble and insoluble acids which it contains. 



A first-class butter fat may have as high as 7 per cent, soluble acid, while the 

 average may be placed at 5 per cent. On the other hand, the adulterants used in 



