BUTTER-MAKING 



261 



greasy, salvy texture. The texture of the finished butter 

 should resemble the granular structure of a piece of broken 

 steel. If it has been properly made, no special effort will be 

 needed to remove an excess of buttermilk or moisture, but the 

 amount of moisture remaining in the butter can be materially 

 influenced by the amount 

 and nature of the working. 

 The percentage of water in 

 the finished butter may 

 vary considerably without 

 affecting its commercial 

 quality, but care should 

 be taken that the moisture 

 does not exceed the legal 

 limit of 16 per cent as es- 

 tablished by the National 

 Government. The butter- 

 maker should control both 

 the percentage of moisture 

 and of salt in his product 

 by making careful tests during the finishing process and just 

 before the butter is printed or packed. 



Fig. 



50. — The " Acme " butter-printer. 

 See also Plate XIV, p. 249. 



PRINTING AND PACKING THE BUTTER 



(See Fig. 50 and Plate XIV) 



The form in which the butter is finished will depend on the 

 market. The present tendency is toward the use of one-pound 

 prints in preference to tubs, especially when made for immediate 

 use ; but if it is to be put into cold storage, it is usually packed 

 in tubs. When the butter is to be put into the form of prints, 

 it should be handled at such a temperature as not to affect its 

 body, but at the same time to admit of easy handling. In 

 printing, care should be taken to have the butter well pressed 



