260 N. H. AGR. EXPERIMENT STATION. [Bulletin 141 



HANDLING OF CREAM BETWEEN SEPARATING 

 AND CHURNING. 



UTENSILS. 



By far the most common receptacles for storing and handling 

 the cream is the pail, the Cooley can and the eight and a half 

 quart milk can. A great many farmers making butter do not 

 have a business extensive enough or have conditions so that it 

 will be practical to use a cream vat. When only small amounts 

 of butter are made, the cream is more easily cared for in cans 

 than in a vat. There is no objection to the use of cans for the 

 storing of cream, but they should in all cases be kept covered. 

 The Cooley cans are preferable to the common narrow top eight 

 and a half quart cans, as in the latter it is difficult to properly 

 stir the cream and as a result this very important operation is 

 often neglected. 



The cream vats found in use were either with or without 

 jacket. It is always preferable to have a jacketed vat, as this 

 allows for cooling cream with cold water or ice, without con- 

 taminating the cream, which is often done when ice is added 

 directly to the cream. In most places it is necessary for the best 

 results to use ice as the spring or well water is not always 

 sufficiently cold in the summer to keep cream at a low enough 

 temeprature during any extended period. 



PLACE AND METHOD OF STORING CREAM. 



Many farmers do not begin the ripening process of the cream 

 until sufficient cream has been gathered for a churning. The 

 discussion of place and method of storing cream refers to the 

 care taken of cream from the time of separation until the ripen- 

 ing process is begun. It should, however, be understood that 

 quite often when the cream is said to be stored that it is very 

 slowly ripening. 



Statistics gathered show that of the farms visited 33.3% kept 

 the cream with ice either in a cream vat or in cans placed in a 

 refrigerator; 4.1% kept the cream in a tub filled with running 

 spring water; 45.8% kept the cream in cans or pails placed on 

 the cellar floor, while 16.8% left the cream in any convenient 

 room regardless of temperature. 



