ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 73 



Mr. Monrad: The only time I ever had bitter cream was 

 when I held it for several days at a low temperature. If you 

 ripen it quickly between twenty-four and not more than forty- 

 eight hours, you will seldom be bothered with bitter cream. 



The Chairman: This cream went to the bon ton people on 

 the boulevards, like Mr. Potter Palmer, and they eat it on warm 

 oatmeal in the morning and that develops the bitterness. 



Mr. Miller: I heard it stated that frozen cream would invar- 

 iably be bitter. I have heard another gentleman of a great deal 

 of experience say that if there is one certain cow in a herd that 

 causes the bitter cream, by eliminating the cream from that cow 

 the rest will be sweet. 



Mr. Pethebridge: Our cream has now come to the stage just 

 before it commences to break. You see, it sticks on the cover 

 and the sides of the churn. We will churn that about five min- 

 utes longer, very carefully watching the observation glass to see 

 the very moment at which it begins to clear. Two turns of the 

 churn at this stage will spoil the butter. 



A Member: Has anyone had trouble with cream when the 

 cows have fed on clover pasture.^ Mine have fed on clover pas- 

 ture and hay for forty years and I never had any trouble. 



Mr. Pethebridge: You very rarely get bitter cream when 

 your cows are running to pasture. It is almost always in cold 

 weather. 



Mr. Major; Do you stir the cream when it is ripening? I 

 think that is an important point in flavor. 



Mr. Pethebridge: Most decidedly, it should be well stirred 

 in the process of ripening. And another thing is important, pro- 

 vide an earthenware crock or enamelled bowl to ripen your cream 

 in. In farm dairying, where perhaps you have two or three gal- 

 lons of cream to churn at a time, it is most important, because 

 it adds to the quality of your butter. The acidity of the cream 

 acts upon a tin utensil and gives it a sort of a "wheyey" flavor, 

 it takes the richness from the flavor of the butter. Whenever 

 you add cream to your crock, stir it thoroughly, mixing it four 

 or five times a day, give it a little stir whenever you go by, not 

 so violent as to churn it, and keep it in a fairly cool place. This 



