170 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



butter-makers. They know, at least, that heat accelerates 

 and cold retards the ripening of cream. 



These two factors, the variation in the purity of the milk 

 and the lack of uniformity in the weather, are probably the 

 most common causes of the differences in the flavor of butter 

 produced at one creamery. The milk is received at about the 

 same time every day, the cream remains in the cream vat 

 nearly the same number of hours before it is churned and the 

 churning is done at a certain time every morning. So that 

 uniformity in the amount of ripening which the cream re- 

 ceives has to take its chances, because it may ripen much 

 faster one day than another, but it is left in the cream vat 

 about the same number of hours every day regardless of its 

 ripeness. 



It is the opinion of the writer that the exact rule regard- 

 ing the length of time that each lot of cream should be kept 

 at a certain temperature can not be safely followed with the 

 expectation of obtaining the same degree of ripeness every 

 time. Butter-makers ought to make careful observations 

 during their daily work and make a record of these observa- 

 tions. 



BUTTER-MAKERS RECORD. 



Note the temperature of the thoroughly mixed sweet 

 cream and the number of hours which it is kept at certain tem- 

 peratures, also the ripeness of the milk, thickness of the cream 

 and condition of the atmosphere during the ripening; then 

 regulate your practice by these records. A systematic demon- 

 stration from accurate records is much more useful than mys- 

 terious tasting and smelling of the cream. 



There are three things that are especially desirable in 

 butter-making — delicate flavor, good grain or body and an 

 exhaustive churning. It is impossible for the writer to 

 enumerate all the known causes and effects that may have 

 been noticed by different persons in their practice to have 

 had an influence on these desirable points in butter-making, 

 but a few general statements regarding them may be of some 

 interest to us all as suggestions for discussion. 



Clean milk from healthy, fresh cows, undoubtedly gives 

 the most delicate flavor to butter, and with such milk there 



