BUTTER JUDGING 141 



A brief discussion of the defects indicated on this score 

 card is given below : 



FLAVOR. 



Curdy flavor is caused by overripened starters or add- 

 ing starters to cream while the latter is at too high a 

 temperature. Also by ripening very thin cream at high 

 temperatures. 



Light flavor is generally due to churning cream too 

 sweet. It may be due also to too much washing and to 

 the character of the feed. It is well known that good 

 succulent June pasturage produces a higher flavored 

 butter than average dry winter feed. 



Rancid flavor is due chiefly to overripened cream. The 

 age of the milk, cream, and butter is also frequently the 

 cause of rancidity. Good butter exposed to light and air 

 at ordinary temperatures turns rancid in a very short time. 



Feverish flavor is noticeable principally in the spring 

 of the year when cows are turned out on pasture and is, 

 no doubt, due in most cases to the sudden change from 

 dry feed to luxuriant pasturage. It is possible that this 

 feverish or grassy odor is due partly to the grass itself 

 and partly to a feverish condition of the cow caused by 

 the sudden change of feed. We find that any feverish 

 condition of the cow will manifest itself in the milk and 

 the products therefrom. 



Oily or greasy flavor may be caused by churning and 

 working butter at too high a temperature, or by keeping 

 the milk and cream at high temperatures. It may also 

 be caused by using poor color or too much color. Bad 

 smelling color that shows sediment at the bottom should 

 not be used. Bacteriologists claim that certain species of 



