328 AGRICULTURE 



Churning. A good temperature for the cream in the 

 churn is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit if the cows are fresh 

 in milk and are not fed on cotton seed or cotton-seed 

 meal. If these foods are fed, raise the temperature within 

 the churn to some point between 63 and 68 degrees. 

 Much warmer cream can be churned, but the butter is 

 then soft and mixed with the curd of the milk. Such 

 butter sells for a very low price and soon becomes rancid. 

 Moreover, if the cream is warm when churned, much of 

 the fat is left in the buttermilk. A dairy thermometer 

 costs little and often saves many an hour of work and 

 many a pound of butter. 



Sometimes, when butter will not come, it is because the 

 cream is not sour enough, or because the churn is too full. 

 The best churns are those that revolve, and these should 

 not be more than one-third or one-half full. Green feed 

 for the cows makes the cream easier to churn and gives 

 to the butter an attractive yellow color. Sometimes, when 

 the butter comes but will not gather, churning can be 

 hastened, but the buttermilk ruined, by adding a little salt. 



Handling the butter. The churn should be stopped 

 when the grains of butter are about as large as kernels of 

 wheat. Then draw off most of the buttermilk and add 

 cold water to harden the butter. Later, wash the grains of 

 butter thoroughly in cold water. Add fine dairy salt while 

 working it on the butter-worker. It is generally best to 

 work it twice. When coloring is added, it should be 

 placed in the churn before churning begins. A uniform 

 color, neat prints, and careful wrapping in special oiled 

 paper greatly increase the selling price. 



