204 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



STARTERS. 



P. H. Kieffer, Manchester, la. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 



I assure you I am glad that I am able to be with you. 

 Before I came here to attend your convention I felt that we 

 buttermakers and creamerymen in the United States had only 

 one state to compete against, and that was our sister state, 

 Minnesota, but since I have come here and heard the speakers 

 yesterday from Wisconsin and from this state, I feel that I 

 ought to be at home at this time at work. I think you are 

 on the right track, this state and Wisconsin, in putting out 

 your inspectors and working among the creameries and patrons. 



The making of butter is somewhat different now than it 

 was several years ago. At that time cream was allowed to ripen 

 naturally without any assistance by the addition of a starter 

 to influence the ripening or souring process or in any way to 

 control the flavor. Whatever bacteria had possession of the 

 milk controlled the ripening of the cream and the butter had 

 the flavor which that bacteria would produce. If the milk or 

 .ream had been exposed to any undesirable bacteria the butter 

 was usually of the same kind of flavor; but nowadays it is 

 different. 



The buttermaker of today must familiarize himself with 

 up-to-date methods in buttermaking. It is necessary that he 

 familiarize himself with the making and the handling of the 

 starter and the effect it has upon the flavor of the butter. Ac- 

 cording to the scorings that have been conducted the last few 

 years the butter that was made with a good commercial starter 

 will average at least two points higher than the butter that was 

 made without the help of a good commercial starter. 



