Sept., 1909.] A STUDY OF FARM BUTTER-MAKING. 2G7 



acid in the cream. The common way, however, to judge of the 

 ripeness of cream on the farm is by the taste, aroma and appear- 

 ance. When considering the taste, aroma and appearance of 

 cream it is very difficult to describe or establish a standard which 

 will be understood by all, as ideas differ in regard to what con- 

 stitutes mildly sour, sour or very sour cream. This was noted 

 in the field work as farmers whose cream was exceedingly sour 

 did not consider it so. Some of the buttermakers expressed the 

 opinion that the sourer the cream was the easier it churned and 

 the more butter was obtained, and therefore the cream could not 

 be too sour. The difference in the amount of butter obtained and 

 the difference in time it takes to churn cream which is slightly 

 sour and cream which is very sour is very small, in fact it is so 

 small that it is unprofitable and unwise to sacrifice quality for 

 quantity. In considering the degree of ripeness, it should be 

 considered that too sour cream as a rule gives a butter with a 

 strong flavor and with poor keeping qualities and therefore the 

 danger of getting the cream too sour before churning is greater 

 than not getting it sour enough. 



CHURNING. 



Temperature. — The churning temperature is a very important 

 factor in buttermaking, for upon it depends the texture or body 

 of the butter, its keeping qualities, and the losses of fat in butter- 

 milk. If the temperature is too high the butter will come soft 

 and will have a greasy texture, it gathers very quickly into large 

 lumps and incorporates large amounts of buttermilk which upon 

 standing will cause a rapid deterioration in the butter. A high 

 temperature also causes a serious loss of fat in the buttermilk as 

 the butter gathers too quickly to allow a thorough churning. If, 

 on the other hand, the churning temperature is too low it will 

 often take a long time to churn. The cream at a low tempera- 

 ture is quite viscous and incorporates air readily, sometimes 

 filling the churn and thus preventing proper agitation of the 

 cream. The butter, when it comes, often appears in very small, 

 hard granules which gather with difficulty. If the butter is 

 worked while in this condition it often results that it will have 

 a crumbly texture and a very low water content. 



