170 CREAMERY BUTTER MAKING 



to the top of the fat column. Farrington suggests add- 

 ing a few drops of fat-saturated alcohol to the top of 

 the fat as a means of removing the meniscus. Ordinary 

 alcohol has a solvent action on butter fat, hence the neces- 

 sity of using fat-saturated alcohol. 



Hunziker* after a thorough investigation of the sub- 

 ject, has found ''glymol" best suited for the removal of 

 the meniscus. Glymol is known commercially as white 

 mineral oil and is used for typewriters, sewing machines, 

 etc. It will give satisfactory results without the addition 

 of coloring matter. It may be colored, however, by plac- 

 ing a small cheese cloth bag containing ''alkanet root" 

 in a bottle of glymol for a day or two. One ounce of 

 alkanet root will color one quart of glymol. 



A few drops of the glymol are sufficient, and should 

 be carefully added to the top of the fat column before 

 reading the test. 



To get accurate readings the bottles should be read 

 while the temperature of the fat is between 135° and 140° 

 F. The bottles should be taken from the tester and placed 

 in a water bath having a temperature of 140° F. and 

 kept there several minutes, or long enough to cool the 

 fat to 140° F. The water in the vessel should extend 

 to the extreme top of the fat in the bottles, or preferably 

 a little above. Accurate readings cannot be obtained by 

 reading the bottles directly from the tester; the first 

 bottles removed have too high a temperature while those 

 removed last have too low a temperature. 



♦Bulletin 145, Indiana Experiment Station. 



