204 MARKET DAIRYING 
Flavor: Immediately after the sample of butter is 
withdrawn from the package it should be held under the 
nose to ascertain the quality of the aroma (flavor). 
Strictly speaking, flavor refers to the taste. But the 
use of the term flavor in butter judging usually in- 
cludes both taste and aroma, the emphasis resting upon 
the latter. 
It is difficult to describe an ideal butter flavor. It 
may, perhaps, be likened to the flavor of clean, uncon- 
taminated, well ripened cream, that is, it should be rich 
and creamy. 
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 
