234 THE GREAT SECRET. 



cream should be kept in a colder place than the dairy- 

 room until the night before churning, when it might be 

 placed in the warm room, so that its temperature shall 

 be about 58. 



"The churn may be prepared by scalding it, and then 

 reduced to the same temperature as the cream by cold 

 water, using the thermometer as a test. 



" This regulation of temperature is of the greatest 

 importance : for, should it be too low, you will be a 

 long time churning, and have poor, tasteless butter ; if 

 too high, the butter will be soft and white." 



What is especially noticeable in the above statement 

 is the use of the sponge, and the thorough and complete 

 removal of all the butter-milk. Here is probably the 

 secret of success, after all. I have given the statement 

 in full, notwithstanding its length, on account of the 

 well-known excellence of the butter produced by the 

 process, as well as for the suggestions with regard to 

 the dairy-rooms, and not because I can recommend all 

 its details for the imitation of others. The use of sour 

 milk in the pans is based, I suppose, on the idea that 

 the cream does not begin to rise till acidity commences 

 in the milk, an idea which was once pretty generally 

 entertained ; but the process of souring undoubtedly 

 commences, though imperceptible to the senses, very 

 soon after the milk comes to rest in the pan. At any 

 rate, there is no doubt that the separation of the butter 

 from the other substances commences at once, and 

 without the addition of any foreign substance to the 

 milk. 



Nor do I believe there is any necessity for the milk 

 to stand over twenty-four hours in any case ; for I have 

 no doubt that all the best of the cream rises within the 

 first twelve hours, under favorable circumstances, and 

 I am inclined to think that whatever is added to the 



