ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. l2 ^ 



contains. We find that good cream contains 90 to 95 per cent of lactic 

 acid bacteria. 



To illustrate more thoroughly the effect of a good starter, I will 

 quote, if you will pardon me, some work done at the Iowa Dairy School., 

 at the meeting of the National Dairy Association held at Topeka, Kan- 

 sas, one of our students, Mr. Mortensen, scored the highest on flavoring, 

 48 1 / £ out of a possible 50 points. The following year Mr. Evans, from our 

 school, was tied for second place at the Sioux Falls meeting. At Lin- 

 coln meeting, Mr. Mortensen again was second, and last year our man 

 Webster scored one point the highest. Here we find that butter made at 

 our school secured the highest twice in four consecutive scorings and 

 occupied second, place at the other two scorings. Do you suppose we 

 could make that kind of a record showing butter in the summer 

 months? I would without any hesitation say, No. Our success was 

 brought about by using heavy enough starters to control the ripening, 

 and thus overcome the effect of the stable fermentation. As I said be- 

 fore, at certain periods of the year you should use enough starter to con- 

 trol the flavor. The best way to do this is to use 20 to 25 percent starter, 

 and put this in your cream vat with a few good, cans of milk before you: 

 begin to separate. Then skim a good heavy cream so that you will have 

 a 25 or 30 per cent cream when you are through separating; that is 

 starter and all. If you ripen this until the cream begins to thicken and 

 then cool you will invariably have hne flavored butter. I am a thorough 

 believer in the use of acid tests for cream ripening, but where a maker 

 has no acid test, I would advise cooling cream as soon as it begins to 

 thicken. One great drawback to starters, in many cases, is the work of 

 preparing them and carrying them forward in a practical manner. 



It is true that we have many good starter cans on the market. Some 

 of our makers, however, demand a more practical method. I find for 

 the everyday maker that a tank 3 to ZV 2 feet wide and 6 feet long and 1& 

 inches deep, or big enough to hold a number of starter cans desired, con- 

 structed of iy 2 inch lumber, with steam and cold water connections. 



