THIRTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL CONVENTION 49 



I use a home-made starter, made as follows : I take the milk 

 from a cow that has not advanced too far in her period of lac- 

 tation, set this milk at a temperature so that it will be coagu- 

 lated in twenty- four hours. Before milking, the flank and udder 

 are carefully brushed; the fore milk is rejected and the pail and 

 strainer are scalded. 



During the ripening process this milk should be stirred 

 occasionally, and should be loosely covered. This starter is 

 propagated from day to day by adding enough of the starter 

 to some fresh skimmed milk to coagulate it in twenty-four 

 hours at a temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. On the 

 days that the cream is ripened the balance of the starter is used 

 for ripening the cream or so much as is required to develop the 

 proper degree of acidity. On other days the starter not needed 

 for propagation is thrown away. 



Care must be taken in propagating the starter. A poor 

 starter is worse than none at all. A starter that has developed 

 gas bubbles in it should not be used. Before using a starter 

 always 'reject about an inch from the top of the starter. It is 

 not as good. After rejecting an inch from the top of the starter 

 it is thoroughly stirred before it is added to the cream. 



The length of time that a starter can be propagated de- 

 pends on how carefully you handle it and how clean your milk 

 and milk utensils are. I have always used a commercial starter but 

 could see no difference in the result. By carefully using a good 

 starter a more uniform butter can be made and a better flavor 

 can be developed. The starter and acid test are indispensable 

 for good butter-making. 



After the cream is properly ripened and cooled to the 

 proper temperature it is taken to the creamery where it is 

 churned. The temperature of the cream when placed in the 

 churn is from 60 to 62 degrees in winter and about 50 degrees 

 in summer. The temperature of the milk after churning is 

 about 58 degrees in winter and 35 degrees in summer. The 

 time required for churning is from one-half to three-quarters 

 of an hour. 



The churning temperature depends on the season of the 



