FIFTIETH ANNUAL CONVENTION 51 



cream is ripened to about .6 of one per cent. acid. This is 

 the method used in winter. In the summer less starter is 

 used and a little higher temperature — 70 degrees F. to 75 

 degrees F. It is held from about 6 to 8 hours at this tem- 

 perature, after which it is placed in the spring and cooled 

 to 50 degrees F. The time for ripening in summer is about 

 12 hours. 



It matters very little whether the cream is ripened at 

 65 degrees F. or 75 degrees F., so long as it is not allowed to 

 develop too much acid. My reason for using a higher tem- 

 perature and less starter and less time to ripen the cream in 

 summer is that cream must be churned at a much lower 

 temperature in summer than in winter and ripened cream 

 cools off very slowly. By having a little higher temperature, 

 the cream has developed sufficient acidity that it can be 

 placed in the spring in the evening and will be thoroughly 

 cooled to 50 degrees F. by morning. During the time that 

 the cream is ripening, it must be thoroughly stirred several 

 times so that it will develop a uniform degree of acidity. 

 If the ripening is not uniform, the churning will not be 

 exhaustive. In the winter the churning temperature must 

 be higher, and by not allowing the temperature to go so 

 high, it can be kept from acquiring too much acid until the 

 next morning and the temperature will then be about right 

 for churning. 



The Starter. 



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 lactation, set this milk at a temperature so that it will be 

 coagulated in 24 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 skim milk to coagulate it in 24 hours 

 at a temperature of about 65 degrees F. On the days that 

 the cream is ripened the balance of the starter is used for 



