88 MODERN BUTTER MAKING. 



116. Churning temperatures. The temperature 

 for churning which is indicated on dairy thermome- 

 ters seems to be the result of a custom based per- 

 haps on the practice prevailing in farm dairies 

 years ago, of using this temperature for churning. 

 The conditions and methods of handling cream may 

 have been such a few decades ago, as to warrant 

 the churning of cream at or near 62° F. At present 

 if one were to make a hard and fast rule for this 

 (which by the way is impossible) a temperature 

 of 56° F. would be more likely to be practicable in 

 the average creamery. Since the introduction of 

 modern dairy machinery and the increased circula- 

 tion of dairy literature, dairying in general has un- 

 dergone a complete change. In former times when 

 cream was raised by the gravity system and then 

 dipped off the milk, a comparatively large quantity 

 of milk went in with the cream and consequently 

 such cream had to be churned at a comparatively 

 high temperature. Under such conditions 62° F. 

 was probably the proper churning temperature. 

 Why manufacturers of thermometers still continue 

 to indicate churning temperature as being 62° F. is 

 a mystery and it is undoubtedly misleading to the 

 novice in dairying. 



117. The churning temperature of cream concerns 

 every butter maker and the failure to properly ad- 

 just the temperature according to the richness of 

 the cream, quantity of cream in the churn, age of 

 the cream, acidity of the cream, season of the year, 

 room temperature and the length of time the cream 

 has been held at a low temperature, etc., will not 



