21 8 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



though less significent in the case of separator cream. In a large dairy- 

 business this is of course highly important, for saving of even a fraction 

 of a per cent, means much to a large creamery in the course of a year. 



Second : It is thought that butter made from properly ripened cream 

 has better keeping properties than that made from cream improperly 

 ripened. This factor, however, is one of no very great importance and, 

 moreover, is perhaps a little uncertain. 



Third: By far the most important purpose of cream ripening is the 

 production in the butter of a desirable flavor and aroma. It has been 

 demonstrated over and over that butter made from un ripened cream 

 lacks the peculiar flavor and aroma which are characteristic of high 

 grade butter, and that these characters appear'as the result of the ripen- 

 ing. It has been proved beyond question,- also, that the character of 

 • the flavor and aroma is dependent upon the character of the cream 

 ripening. If the ripening is not satisfactory, the flavor and aroma of the 

 butter are sure to be inferior. 



The importance of this factor in buttermakmg for our creameries is 

 very great indeed, more so than is commonly appreciated by butterma- 

 kers. When we remember that the price of butter in the market depends 

 largely upon the flavor, we can easily appreciate how much the butter- 

 maker is dependent upon this process of cream ripening. ' 



Butter without flavor or with bad flavor brings a price in the market 

 which hardly pays for the making, while a product with a good flavor 

 and aroma will sell for at least 3c or 4c a pound more, and the exception- 

 ally fine flavored product of special creameries brings a fancy price two 

 or three times that of poor butter. The flavor will add at least 2c or 3c, 

 and sometimes one-third or even one-half , to the price which could be 

 obtained for poor flavored butter or for butter without flavor. In ordi- 

 nary dairying, then, the success or failure of a creamery business will be 

 in large measure dependent upon this factor. A creamery which fails 

 to ripen its cream properly fails tc get a desirable flavor in its butter. 

 It inevitably obtains a low price for its product, and may hardly meet 

 expenses, while a neighboring creamery, that is more successful in its 



