CREAM-RIPENING. 205 



pasteurize all the cream, add a starter, and ripen in the usua 

 way. If the cream is sour, and there is a danger of souring 

 the remainder of the milk, or clogging the separator, it is ad- 

 visable to add it directly to the cream-vat. The sourness of 

 the cream is not so dangerous if the flavor is clean. If it is 

 very unclean, and not sour, the mixing with the whole milk, 

 the separation, and pasteurization will eliminate a great many 

 of the undesirable flavors and check the activity of a large 

 portion of the undesirable germs present. When the starter 

 is again added and ripened, a good quality of butter is ob- 

 tained. If a comparatively large amount of cream in poor 

 condition is received, then it is advisable to retain it by itself. 



4. General Creamery Conditions. — Occasionally it happens 

 that a creamery is not properly equipped with vats, so as to 

 enable an operator to handle two lots of cream. Where one 

 man has to do all the work, one churning is about all he can 

 accomplish daily, besides attending to the remainder of the 

 work. Under such conditions it is doubtful whether it will 

 pay to purchase additional vats and hire additional help, in 

 order to keep poor hand-separator cream separate from the 

 remainder, through the different steps of manufacture. Since 

 the butter is not sold strictly on its merits, there would, as a 

 rule, be no profit for the average small creamery to grade the 

 cream, on account of the additional labor and apparatus re- 

 quired. If a high quahty of butter is the supreme aim of the 

 creamery operator, then it becomes very essential that the poor 

 cream be kept separate. 



Examining and Testing Cream for Acidity During 

 Ripening. 



As has been stated before, the best flavor in butter is pro- 

 duced when cream is ripened to the proper degree of acidity. 

 If it is ripened too much, or overripened, the butter wiU assume 

 a high flavor and strong aroma, while if not ripened high enough, 

 it will be a httle flattish with less aroma. Many makers depend 



