348 DAIRY BUTTER MAKING 



better grain and texture can be made in wooden churns than in 

 metal churns because it is impossible to so prepare metal that 

 the fat will not adhere considerably even under ideal tempera- 

 ture conditions, and badly if the churning is being done at a 

 temperature which is but slightly too high. 



To prepare the wooden churn for use, liberal quantities of 

 scalding hot water should be used, primarily, for the purpose of 

 soaking the wood, or in other words, driving the air out of it. 

 When the tissue of the wood has become filled with hot water 

 the whole should be well cooled with cold water in order that 

 the warmth contained in the walls of the churn shall not raise 

 the temperature of the cream. The same principles pertain 

 to the preparation of all woodenware, such as ladles and worker. 



Straining the cream into the churn is a wise precaution for 

 removal of particles of curd as well as for removal of sawdust or 

 any other foreign matter which may have fallen into the cream. 



No barrel churn should be filled more than one-third full 

 if quick and exhaustive churning is to be done. There must be 

 room left for the cream to fall. 



Coloring the butter is accomplished by adding the liquid 

 color to the cream immediately before starting to churn. The 

 quantity used will vary with the breed of cattle, the feed that 

 they are consuming, and the market to which the butter is to 

 be shipped. With Guernsey and Jersey cows on pasture no 

 color will be needed, since their product is naturally yellow. The 

 shade of natural butter varies all the way from a bright orange, 

 produced by Guernseys on blue grass pasture, to an almost pure 

 white, produced by Holsteins, Ayrshires and Shorthorns on win- 

 ter feed. In winter, generally speaking, one cubic centimeter 

 of color for every pound of butter fat in the cream, or one tea- 

 spoonful for every gallon of cream will be found abundant. Some 

 colors are stronger than others and care must be exercised to not 

 use too much. The market requirements should also be studied. 



The color used is the outer portion of the seed of the annatto 

 plant which grows in the South Sea Islands and South America. 

 The color is incorporated mechanically in cottonseed oil as a 

 carrier. When used, the added color accompanies the oil and 

 is made to surround the many globules of fat. Butter color 



