248 BUTTER-MAKING. 



moved by excessive washing; while if the butter has a fine, rich 

 flavor, it should be retained, and not extracted by washing 

 the butter more than is needed. No definite temperature can 

 be given, as the temperature of wash-water must vary accord- 

 ing to the hardness of the butter when churned. 



If the temperature of the wash- water is too high, and the 

 churning in the wash-water is continued a very long time, much 

 water will be incorporated in the butter. If the butter is quite 

 firm in the first place, and the temperature of the wash-water 

 is not above 60 F., there is not much danger of getting too 

 much water in the butter. Rapid changes in the degree of 

 hardness of the butter in the presence of w T ater are conducive 

 to a high moisture-content. Very soft butter chilled in very 

 cold water, and hard butter softened in very warm wash-water 

 are two conditions which should be avoided. 



Kind of Wash-water to Use. In the washing of butter, 

 it is very essential that water used should be the best obtain- 

 able. The creamery water-supply is evidently much better 

 now than it was years ago. Pond- wells and shallow wells are 

 gradually passing out of existence, but there are yet many 

 shallow wells from which water is drawn for creamery purposes. 

 Water from wells may appear to be pure, and yet contain 

 germs which are deleterious to dairy products, and especially 

 to the keeping quality of butter. That water of average purity 

 contains such germs has been demonstrated in this country, 

 as well as in foreign countries. Shallow well-water contains 

 on an average about 15,000 germs per cubic centimeter, but 

 Miquel has found that a rapid power of multiplication charac- 

 terizes the bacteria in pure spring-water, while in impure water 

 the multiplication is slower. Water containing only this many 

 germs is, as a rule, considered very pure. Most creameries, 

 however, pump their water into a tank overhead in the creamery, 

 where it is contaminated with bacteria and impurities of different 

 kinds. 



Shallow wells are usually surrounded with conditions which 

 do not guarantee a creamery pure water during the different 



