202 BUTTER-MAKING. 
a low temperature (50° F.) immediately after it has been 
skimmed or received, then allowing it to stand until the next 
day. The second day’s cream is then poured in with the first 
day’s cream, the starter added, and the ripening process com- 
pleted. Others prefer to add the starter to the first batch of 
cream immediately after it has been skimmed, then ripen it 
almost to the normal degree of acidity, and cool to about 50° F. 
The next day the new cream is skimmed into this already 
ripe cream, stirred thoroughly, and the ripening process com- 
pleted. The latter method, if done properly, has given the best 
satisfaction. When cream is ripened according to the method 
first described, undesirable fermentations are likely to gain 
ascendency. As has been mentioned before, the undesirable 
germs grow better at a lower temperature than do the bacteria 
producing lactic acid. When the next day’s cream is skimmed 
into this, the undesirable ferments may preponderate to such 
an extent that the desirable germs cannot overcome or suppress 
them during the remainder of the ripening process. According 
to the latter method, the first day’s cream is ripened as usual. 
When the next day’s cream is skimmed into this, the first lot 
of cream acts as a starter. The lactic acid present inhibits 
the growth of other undesirable species, and consequently 
better results are obtained by this method. 
This latter method of holding cream is recommended when 
cream is to be held for any length of time, such as over Sunday, 
or when the creamery is run only every other day, and the 
churning done once or twice per weck. If possible, and all 
the other conditions consistent, it is better to ripen the cream 
and churn it the day it is delivered than it is to hold the cream 
over for several days before it is churned. Butter will always 
keep better than cream, under any conditions. 
MIXING or CREAM. 
With the introduction of hand-separators the quality of 
cream received at creameries varies considerably. The ques- 
tion then arises, should the different quantities of cream be 
