140 THE BOOK OF BUTTER 



It is very necessary that the water be free from micro- 

 organisms that will affect the flavor of the butter or the 

 health of the consumer. Therefore, in case there is any 

 suspicion of impurity in the water, it should be pasteurized. 



10. After washing, and in case a small churn is em- 

 ployed, place the butter on the worker or in the bowl that 

 has been thoroughly cooled, and distribute the salt over 

 it. Sometimes it is easier to spread the salt over the 

 butter, while it is still in the open and clustered condition 

 in the churn, rather than when it is bunched together on 

 the worker. In the large factory churns, the butter should 

 be gathered on the shelf and trenched. Then the salt 

 should be put in the trench and the butter pulled over it 

 in such a way that it is not scattered throughout the 

 churn. This method of putting the salt into the butter 

 does not waste so much as simply scattering it over the 

 butter. In large churns that have two doors, the quan- 

 tity of salt should be divided equally in two portions and 

 one di\'ision placed in each end of the churn. This aids 

 in the even distribution of salt in the butter. 



If the salt is dry and hard, or cold, and dissolves slowly, 

 it is well to place it in a vessel and just cover it with water 

 at the same temperature as that of the wash water, or 

 perhaps two or three degrees higher. After standing a 

 few hours, the salt will be softened and warmed and will 

 dissolve in the butter much more quickly than when dry or 

 cold. This method of aiding salt to dissolve is much more 

 satisfactory than to allow the butter to stand a few or many 

 hours, and then to complete the working process ; for 

 when it is held it is usually placed at a low temperature 

 and consequently is too hard to work well. In creameries, 

 where not many churnings are made each day, it may 

 be convenient to allow a churning to stand fifteen or 



