152 BUTTER-MAKING. 
Objections to Farm Separators.—Under the present manner 
of carrying on the hand-separator system, the quality of butter 
manufactured from the cream shipped into the central plants 
is much poorer than that made from whole milk. This is 
not due to ny fault of the system, but to the poor care which 
the separator and cream receive. The sepa- 
rator on the farm is frequently kept in an 
unsuitable place. Often it is located in the 
barn. If the milk is separated in such a 
place it will absorb odors and undesirable 
taints. The cream is seldom taken care of 
properly after it is separated. The separators 
often are not cleaned well. A separator can- 
not be kept in good condition by simply 
flushing out the bowl with cold water at the 
: end of each separation. It must be taken 
Fic. renee Laval apart at the close of each skimming; have all 
hand separator. the parts washed thoroughly in luke-warm 
water, and then scalded. The time and power it requires to 
skim the milk and to care for the milk is in many instances 
considered objectionable to the system. 
Thickness of Cream.—The thickness of cream which most 
butter-makers at central plants prefer is cream containing 
about 30 to 40% of fat. Such cream is not thick enough 
to cause any inconvenience in sampling and weighing. It can 
be diluted with a good starter and ripened without getting it 
so thin as to produce unfavorable conditions for churning. 
By some it is deemed advisable to skim even thicker than this, 
up to 50%. Cream containing this much fat, however, is 
difficult to handle especially in winter, during cold weather. It 
gets so stiff that it is difficult to pour, and there is also danger 
of losing more or less cream through its adhering to the sides of 
the cans. 
A thick cream is advisable from the farmer’s standpoint. 
The thicker the cream is, the more skim-milk he will retain 
on the farm for feeding purposes. It can also readily be seen 
