180 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



Wet salting- as here referred to is the method that has been 

 used by this station during the past two years. It differs from 

 the so-called dry salting system in that more salt is required and 

 a definite amount of water per pound of butter in the churn is 

 also added. In either case the rate of salt used per pound of 

 butter does not determine the percent of salt retained in the fin- 

 ished product. Dry salting presupposed that some of the wash 

 water is retained. This, however, is never constant nor in pro- 

 portion to the amount of butter in the churn, hence, it is a factor 

 largely responsible for lack of uniformity of salt content ob- 

 tained by this method. A certain amount of water in the churn 

 during working is necessary to aid in dissolving the salt. If this 

 amount is not in proportion to the butter in the churn it will in- 

 fluence the amount of salt retained. For example, if 30 pounds 

 of water should be left in the churn with the 200 or 600 pounds 

 of butter and in either case salt added, at the rate of one ounce 

 per pound of butter, it is natural that the butter in the 600 pound 

 churn would contain the highest percent of salt, since a smaller 

 percent of the salt is wasted in the form of brine, as previously 

 stated. 



By the wet method of salting, the butter is thoroughly 

 drained and a definite amount of salt and water is added per 

 pound of butter. 



Thoroughly draining the butter, in a measure, overcomes the 

 uncertain amount of water retained in the churn and leaves the 

 relation of salt, butter, and water more definite. 



An example of this method of salting is recorded in Table 

 12. The question naturally arises : What influence does this ad- 

 ditional amount of water in the churn, while the butter is being 

 worked, have upon the water and fat content? 



This method of salting had been in use for some time be- 

 fore it was experimentally compared with dry salting on alter- 

 nate days. This comparison did not indicate that the method of 

 salting bore any direct relation to the intended water content. 

 A year, or more, later comparisons were made on six consecutive 

 days by dividing all of the cream in the ripener into tw(3 churn- 



