3(1. THE TEArPBRATURE OP CREAM. 



Mvery [iwmui who has a dairy and churns should use a thermome- 

 ter. Did you know that cream will churn much better at some tem- 

 peratures than others? ISTice thick cream will churn best at about 

 56 degrees. The only way you can find out when the cream is at the 

 right temperature is to use a thermometer. You can buy floating 

 bulb or dairy thermometers for 25 cents that will be very valuable; and 

 any druggist can get them for you. The use of the thermometer for 

 one day may more than pay for the cost of it. 



Here is an experiment for you that will be worth something to 

 your parents, perhaps, as well as to other people. 



Take some fairly thick cream, put it into a deep pan or pail, and 

 place in a tub or large pail of very cold water and cool it until your 

 thermometer sajs it has a temperature of 56 degrees. Stir the cream 

 in the can to make it cool rapidly and evenly. Then take some cream 

 that is much thinner and churn it at the same temperature. Which 

 does it take you the longest to churn? ISTow, supposing you get some 

 thin cream and churn it at 62 degrees. How long does it take the 

 butter to come at this temperature? If you study this question care- 

 fully, you will find that in summer it will be well to churn the cream 

 at 56 degrees, because it will gradually warm up some in the churn, 

 while in the winter it will be well to have it somewhat warmer, or 

 about 60 degrees. The colder you can churn your cream and get 

 butter the better the butter irill be, and you will not lose so much fat 

 in the buttermilk. 



4th. TEMPERATURE OP THE ROOM. 



If you place some cream at 56 degrees in the churn, and then agi- 

 tate it in a room at 70 degrees, what will happen? After you have 

 churned fifteen minutes take the temperature of your cream. You 

 will be sure to find that it is warmer than when you put it in the 

 churn. What does that mean? Does it not mean that the air of the 

 room is warming up the churn and its contents? That is just it. 

 How, if the butter comes in this warmed-up cream, will it be nice 

 and hard to handle, or somewhat soft and sticky? Can't you report 

 on this? Would you advise churning in a room warmer than the 

 temperature of your cream, or in a little colder one, if possible? 



5th. WASHING THE BUTTER. 



After the butter comes in the churn to about the size of wheat 

 grains we stop churning and draw off the buttermilk. That leaves 

 the butter in the bottom of the churn, sometimes like a mass of 



