CREAM AXD ITS PECULIARITIES. 271 



from fully ripened cream. Butter made from sweet cream 

 lacks this aroma and flavor, and must be kept for some 

 time to acquire it by an internal process of decomposi- 

 tion, produced from the slow change of its inherent ele- 

 ments in much the same way as here described. This 

 ripening process is analogous to that of fruits in which 

 the woody fiber of the hard, crude, unripe fruit changes 

 to the pulp, gum and sugar of the fully ripe fruit. To 

 explain this let us take 



4 atoms of lactic acid = C24H48O24 

 3 atoms of butyric acid = C24H480i2 



Leaving O12 



IVa atoms of lactic acid = C9 HigOa 

 Adding da 



Then 



Produce 



C» HieOai 



9 atoms of carbonic acid = C® — Ojs 



12 atoms of hydrogen ■= — H^ — 



3 atoms of water = _ He O3 



C9 H18O21 



In this manner the change, which goes on by an in- 

 ternal decomposition and breaking up of an unstable 

 element of the cream, is entirely accounted for. But it 

 is the business of the dairyman to watch his cream and 

 prevent the ripening from going too far and developing 

 into injurious acidit3^ Hence the temperature is a most 

 important thing to control and regulate, for if it is in 

 excess of the normal point, time is to be reduced; but the 

 careful dairyman will not work by ^^rule of thumb" in 

 so serious a matter, when a twenty-five cent thermometer 

 will act as a safe standard and guide in this respect. 



K'ow the behavior of cream in the churn is controlled 

 by this element of rii^ening, and although all previous 

 requisites, feeding and perfect cleanliness in manage- 

 nient in the cows, skillful milking and care of the milk 



