DAIRYING 27 



is not of such fundamental importance as an understanding of 

 the reasons for working butter. When a butter maker is familiar 

 Hh them it is comparatively easy to work butter in a way best 

 suited to accomplish the desired results. 



432. The purposes of working butter are (1) to remove the 

 buttermilk and surplus water; (2) to distribute the salt, and (3) 

 to unite the granules so as to obtain the desired butter consist- 

 ency. 



There is no hard and fast rule by which these three things 

 may be always accomplished in an entirely satisfactory way by 

 the same treatment ; the different working must be varied to 

 suit the different conditions of the butter, and the butter-maker 

 should know what influence each particular condition may have 

 on the three objects to be attained. 



1. To remove the buttermilk and surplus water will require 

 different amounts of working according to the hardness and the. 

 size of the butter granules, as well as the amount of water they 

 contain, which is influenced to some extent by the length of time 

 the butter is allowed to drain in the churn. 



The hard, small granules of butter which are usually ob- 

 tained by churning at a low temperature will need but little 

 working to remove the buttermilk and surplus water, and such 

 butter can stand a great deal of working without injuring its 

 grain. A rather soft, sticky butter does not drain freely, because 

 both the buttermilk and the water stick to it and in this condi- 

 tion butter will not stand much working without injury to its 

 grain and body. 



Betwen these two extremes is the medium granule, about the 

 size of wheat kernels which is firm, but neither soft nor hard and 

 which will drain as dry as necessary in about fifteen minutes after 

 the water is drawn from it. Such butter will not be injured by a 

 fair amount of working. 



2. Working butter to distribute the salt is best accomp- 

 lished by repeated workings, allowing it to stand between each 

 working as long as practicable, the longer the time the better the 

 salt is dissolved. After a few revolutions of the worker, the but- 

 ter may be tested to see if it contains the right amount of salt. 





