84 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



fat content. Much of the dissatisfaction among the patrons 

 of creameries comes from a lack of understanding- of the con- 

 ditions that affect the quality of cream. 



The temperature at which the milk is set has a very marked 

 effect on the quality of the cream produced. Cream from the 

 same herd of cows will vary in butter fat as the temperature 

 of the water in which the cans are submerged changes. If the 

 milk is kept at a temperature of about 35 F., instead of 45 F., 

 the cream will often drop 4 or 5 per cent in butter fat. This 

 explains the fact that cream frequently tests lower in very cold 

 weather than in warm weather. The volume increases corres- 

 pondingly, so there is no loss of butter fat. If the water in the 

 creamer is allowed to become warmer than 45 F. the cream 

 becomes proportionately richer. Keeping the milk at a tempera- 

 ture of 65 F. or /O F. will cause an increase of 10 or 15 per 

 cent of butter fat in the cream, while the volume of the cream 

 decreases. This latter temperature is objectionable because the 

 separation is not so complete and more fat is left in the skimmed 

 milk than when the lower temperature is used. 



To make cream at all uniform in composition it is necessary 

 to use the greatest care in handling and. setting the milk. The 

 water must be kept at an even temperature, the milk set imme- 

 diately after being drawn, and the intervening time between set- 

 ting and skimming the milk be the same. Cream raised by 

 setting the milk 12 hours is not as rich as cream obtained from 

 milk set 24 hours. 



It seems hardly necessary to mention that the amount of 

 skimmed milk drawn off with the cream affects its quality. It 

 should be apparent to every one that increasing its bulk with 

 skimmed milk decreases proportionately its per cent of butter 

 fat. Only the best methods of skimming should be employed. 

 The old method of dipping the cream from the top of the milk 

 is wasteful and should not be practiced. The best method is 

 to draw the skimmed milk off by a faucet at the bottom of the 

 can, and about one inch of skimmed milk should always 

 be left under the cream, as drawing closer than that endangers 

 loss of fat. 



The above facts will account for most of the variations in the 

 fat content of cream and show how necessary it is to sample each 



