156 CREAMERY BUTTER MAKING 



as exerting an indirect influence upon the water content 

 of butter. Feeds, breeds, and period of lactation for ex- 

 ample change the proportion of soft and hard fats in 

 butterfat and therefore have an influence upon the churn- 

 ing temperature of cream. 'Butter from stable-fed cows 

 receiving feeds like cottonseed meal, which produces a 

 hard butterfat, may be perfectly normal in water content, 

 while butter from the same cows feeding upon pasture 

 (yielding a relatively soft butterfat) may be over- 

 loaded with water, if the same churning and working 

 temperature is employed in both cases. 



The author recalls several cases where buttermakers 

 have exceeded the legal limit for water in butter. These 

 occurred in the spring while the cows were being changed 

 from dry feed to pasture. It is possible that the butter- 

 makers in these instances failed to change the churning 

 temperature to meet the changed conditions as to feed. 

 The lactation period may also have exerted some influence 

 in these cases, since it is possible that many of the cows 

 freshened during the transition period from dry feed to 

 pasture. (See discussion under "insoluble fats," page 



15.) 



DETERMINATION OF WATER IN BUTTER. 



One of the most important points in testing butter for 

 moisture is to get a sample that will accurately represent 

 the whole lot of butter to be tested. Such a sample 

 is best secured by making a composite sample, the com- 

 ponents being taken from various parts of the tub or 

 churn. 



Sampling Tub Butter.- Run the trier diagonally 

 through the tub and collect butter from different points 



