270 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



For holding the cream have a regular can fitted with a cover 

 through which the handle of the stirrer may project. The second 

 can should be smaller, but of sufficient size to hold all the cream of 

 one skimming. Cool the cream in this can before pouring it 

 into the larger can. It is a good plan to leave the cream in this 

 can until the following milking time, but the cooling should 

 commence as soon as the separating is done in order to check 

 tihe souring. Stir the cream occasionally while it is cooling. 

 When a sufficient amount of cream has been collected for a churn- 

 ing, or twenty-four hours before the time set for churning, the 

 cream can should be removed from the place where it has been 

 kept cold and placed where the cream will warm to from 60 to 

 65 degrees, in summer, and 70 to 75 degrees in winter. Add the 

 starter, using from one to two and a half gallons for every ten 

 gallons of cream. In case the cream has not been kept cold 

 enough to remain sweet, it will not be necessary to warm it up 

 for souring. After the starter is added the cream should be 

 thoroughly stirred every hour until it has taken on a sufficient 

 amount of acid for churning. This can be determined by an 

 acid test or by the general appearance. It should be smooth and 

 glossy with a clean acid taste and aroma. Under favorable con- 

 ditions, starting with sweet cream, this development of acid is 

 brought about in from six to eight hours. The cream should 

 then be cooled to churning temperature and held for at least 

 two hours in winter and from four to six hours in summer. 

 Otherwise, the butter will come soft and mushy with a cor- 

 responding increased loss in the buttermilk. 



A number of people have used the following method of 

 handling the cream : At the beginning of the collecting period 

 or when the first amount of cream is placed in the cream can, a 

 small amount of starter is added to it, usually one-fourth of 

 the amount of cream ; in this case the development of acid is go- 

 ing on slowly during the time the cream is collected. No fresh 

 cream should be added to the cream can later than twelve hours 

 before it is churned. The above method works well if the cream 

 is kept cold enough to control the amount of acid developed. 



At times during the collecting period, even when cream 



