26 o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 9 
added to induce the desired fermentation. Further, 
it has been found that certain (ferms producing lactic 
acid are accompanied by more desirable flavors than 
others, and these have been isolated and placed on 
the market in such form as to be readily available ; 
at least half a dozen such are now regularly for sale 
in this country and in Europe. It has, also, been 
found that a lactic germ improves after a certain 
amount of continuous culture in sterilized skim-milk, 
and as this is the medium universally employed in the 
propagation of the ferment (starter), a desirable fer¬ 
ment once obtained is likely to go on improving. 
At the present time, comparatively little butter is 
made in this way in this country, partly because it is 
not difficult to get a fairly good fermentation without 
it, and partly because, as Russell and Farrington 
have shown, the flavors produced by the various com¬ 
mercial ferments, though perhaps, milder and more 
delicate, are not more desired by the consumer than 
those characteristic of our ordinary “native” or 
“ scrub ” ferment. 
As to the future, the practice of Pasteurizing and 
using a prepared ferment of some kind will, undoubt¬ 
edly, grow with all to whom it is important to pro¬ 
duce an article of uniform flavor from day to day. If 
our foreign trade should increase, it will be absolutely 
necessary that we produce the flavor most desired 
over there, and the only practical means of so doing 
will be by the use of their methods. 
Cornell University. [prof.] ii. ii. wing. 
FACTS ABOUT CREAM RIPENING. 
NEED OF AN ACID TEST. 
Pure butter fat, as produced by the cow, has little 
flavor. Good and poor butter are largely the result 
of methods of manufacture. The so-called “fresh 
country butter ” handled at the grocery, and the in 
ferior grades of dairy and creamery butter that glut 
and depress our home markets, could have been made, 
by other hands and by slightly different methods, an 
Al article. 
One of the most important steps in buttermaking 
is cream ripening. The changes that take place in 
the cream vat determine largely the flavor, aroma and 
grain or consistency of the resulting butter. In judg¬ 
ing butter, these qualities count for 75 out of a possible 
score of 100, or perfection. It is important then that 
the butterraakcr should understand the principles that 
underlie, and the best methods and practices in vogue 
at this step of the process. Briefly, cream ripening 
consists, first, in the addition of a starter to the 
cream to be ripened ; second, holding at a temperature 
of 00 to 70 degrees until .50 to .08 per cent of acid have 
developed; third, cooling to 45 degrees, and holding 
at that temperature four or five hours ; fourth, warm¬ 
ing slowly to that temperature which, when churned, 
will bring butter in not less than 45 minutes. 
Cream left to itself will spontaneously become sour ; 
this is the result of the growth of lactic acid bacteria 
which feed upon the milk sugar, and as a final process, 
convert it into a lactic acid. Other forms of bacteria 
are always present in cream; some have little or no 
effect in the ripening process, while others, if allowed 
to develop, produce undesirable and often obnoxious 
flavors. To cultivate and develop these “ wild ” germs, 
is called “spontaneous” ripening, and is often attended 
with uncertainty. Good buttermaking demands the 
use of a “ starter,” either homemade ora pure culture. 
The former should be made of selected skim-milk, 
and the latter consists of one or several germs selected 
on account of their ability to produce a desirable flavor 
or aroma in butter. 
By whatever method cream is ripened, three quali¬ 
ties are desired and aimed at, viz., acidity, flavor, and 
aroma ; each of these qualities is a product of fer¬ 
mentation. These qualities are independent of each 
other, perhaps, inasmuch as they may be produced by 
different germs ; but as butter approaches perfection, 
we have all three qualities highly developed. The ques¬ 
tion naturally arises whether acidity, since it is always 
present, can be taken as an accurate measure of the 
ripeness of cream. It is generally admitted that 
sweet-cream butter is insipid, and lacks flavor ; at any 
rate, there is little demand for it. Ninety per cent of 
the butter sold on the market is acid or sour-cream 
butter. The presumption, then, is that flavor and 
acidity are closely related. 
In a trial of different cultures at the Iowa Station, 
it developed that the score on flavor was influenced 
more by the amount of acid developed in the cream 
than by the kind of starter used. The following table 
shows the effect of “mild” and “high.” acidity as 
witnessed by the score on flavor : 
Number Ranje in Average Average score 
of trials. acidity, per ct. acidity, per ct. on llavor. 
7.53 to .63 . 60 44.92 
7.65 to .63 .67 47.28 
Average difference in acidity.07 per cent. 
Average difference in flavor.2.63 
Mr. Wallace says, “ The slight difference in acidity 
produced a constant difference in the flavor. Each 
judge in each case gave the highest score where there 
had been most acidity in the cream. ” I recently conduct¬ 
ed 10 trials with different cultures ; in each trial, a vat 
of cream was ripened to a “ mild” acidity, when half 
of it was cooled and churned. The remainder was 
ripened about .1 per cent more and then churned. In 
every case, the higher score was in favor of the “high” 
acidity, and the difference ranged from one to 3% 
points in the score on flavor. 
In everyday practice, the buttermaker judges the 
ripeness of cream by taste, smell and appearance. To 
be able to tell just when the proper conditions are 
reached, requires years of experience. Few butter- 
makers acquire the faculty, and if they do, are unable 
to impart their knowledge to another. The beginners 
in buttermaking are quite at sea as to what consti¬ 
tutes proper ripeness. Inasmuch as flavor and acidity 
are so closely associated, the expert buttermaker, as 
well as the novice, would, 1 believe, find an acid test 
of great benefit in securing the highest flavor. 
Another advantage of an acid test is to secure uni¬ 
formity from day to day. The judgment of two but- 
termakers as to the amount of acid desirable may not 
be the same ; the demands of different markets vary ; 
the likes and dislikes of private customers must be 
catered to, but whatever the standard fixed upon, uni¬ 
formity can be secured from day to day more accu¬ 
rately by an acid test. The best authorities favor an 
acidity of .65 to .68 percent. Cream having less than 
.50 per cent of acid will produce butter lacking in 
flavor. When more than .70 per cent of acid is de¬ 
veloped, there is danger of bitter and undesirable 
flavors which injure the keeping quality of butter. 
Ripened cream churns more easily, the butter comes 
more readily, and as a result, there is less loss in 
churning. This is not so apparent with thick separ¬ 
ator cream. The amount of acid in cream may be 
A C ALF-FEEDING STANCHION. Fig. 111. 
measured or determined by neutralizing the acid in a 
measured quantity of cream with a standard alkali. 
A convenient test is known as the Farrington Tablet 
Test, for measuring the acidity of cream. [Wisconsin 
Bulletin No. 52; Washington State Bulletin No. 24.] 
Stir the cream often, as many of the germs like a good 
supply of oxygen, and also to secure a uniform ripen¬ 
ing. Do not let the temperature get above 70 degrees 
during the ripening, as it is likely to injure the tex¬ 
ture of the butter. Low ripening temperatures are 
to be avoided on account of the danger of bitter and 
undesirable fermentation. Keep the cream above 60 
degrees until ready to chill, and then cool to 45 de¬ 
grees. Chill for four or five hours. This will secure 
good body and texture to the butter. This is not so 
necessary with cream from deep-setting. Avoid sud¬ 
den changes in temperature. c. L. beach. 
Connecticut. _ 
French Asparagus. 
M. 0. T ., Red Hank , N. ./.—What about French varieties of as¬ 
paragus ? Which of them would prove most profitable to grow 
for the New York market? Are the French asparagus growers 
troubled with the rust or blight as we are, or is the pest unknown 
there altogether ? Which of the American varieties do you con¬ 
sider the best for market purposes ? 
Ans. —The Argenteuil asparagus, named from Ar- 
genteuil, near Paris, is a sub-variety of the Hollande 
asparagus. The size and quality depend much upon 
the culture and ground. 1 know Mr. Lalbeuf, of Ar¬ 
genteuil : his whole secret, he has told me many times, 
was diligent culture and manuring, selecting the seed 
to obtain the finest product. Regarding the disease 
you call rust. I have never had any trouble with it, 
but we have a species of fly which reddens the main 
stem, and when numerous, destroys the plant. It is 
easily destroyed on the asparagus by a solution of 
Paris-green, but such operation must cease during 
cutting, or when the plants are young. In my opinion, 
the rust disease is produced by weeds allowed to grow 
after cutting is over, as in the month of July, most 
of the cultivating is abandoned. If properly worked 
and manured, as good results may be obtained with 
Colossal or Palmetto as with Argenteuil. f. boui.on. 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name and address of 
the writer to insure attention. Before asking a question please 
see whether it is not answered in our advertising columns. Ask 
only a few questions at one time. Put questions on a separate 
piece of paper.] 
DRY AND WET FODDER RATIONS. 
ANSWERS BY PROF. C. S. PHELPS. 
Ensilage, Cotion-Seed Meal and Bran. 
D. D. O., Factoryville, Pa. —Will you give me a balanced ration 
from the following: Cotton-seed meal and wheat bran ? The 
only fodder I feed is well-eared and well-matured corn ensilage, 
cut in the silo ears and all. I wish a ration that will give me the 
best flow of milk. My cows are of all kinds, most of them about 
1,000 or 1,200 pounds weight. My object in feeding bran and cot- 
ton-seed meal is to get a rich manure. I feed ouly twice a day, 
morning and night. 
Probably better results could be obtained by using 
some dry coarse fodder instead of depending entirely 
upon ensilage. Cows seem to require some coarse, 
bulky fodder to distend the digestive system, and 
keep it in a healthy, vigorous condition, although 
some feeders have reported good results from the ex¬ 
clusive use of ensilage as coarse food. The following 
would make a very fair ration from the materials 
named, and ought to produce a large flow of milk: 
Ration for Cows Giving 10 to 20 Pocnds or Milk Per Dat. 
Kind of feed. Dry —Digestible Nutrients— Nut. 
Banal ration. Am’t. Matter. Protein. Fat. Carbo-hyd.Ratio. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
1: 
Corn ensilage. 
50 
12.6 
.50 
.35 
7.05 
Wheat bran. 
9 
7.0 
.95 
22 
3.08 
Cotton-seed meal. 
214 
2.3 
.93 
.31 
.42 
Pro*,, ration for cows 
21.9 
2.38 
.88 
10.55 
5.2 
giving 20 to 25 pounds 
of milk per day. 
Cotton-seed meal. 
% 
.4 
.28 
.Oil 
.13 
For cows giving 25 to 
22.3 
2.66 
.97 
10.68 
4.8 
30 pounds. 
Basal ration as above. 
21.9 
2.38 
.88 
10.55 
Protein ration. 
hi 
.8 
.56 
.18 
.26 
22.7 
2.94 
1.06 
10.81 
4.6 
The first of these rations may be called a basal or 
foundation ration, and should be fed to all cows of 
the herd giving a fair flow of milk. It would, prob¬ 
ably, pay to add as indicated, 12 ounces (about one 
pint) of cotton-seed meal for each five pounds increase 
in milk flow for those cows giving over 20 pounds per 
day. This is recommended on the basis that protein 
is the most essential food ingredient in the production 
of milk. If this herd of cows has been accustomed to 
liberal rations of cotton-seed meal, the use of as much 
as three to four pounds per day will, probably, do 
them no harm. In case there is any tendency to gar¬ 
get, I would recommend using gluten meal or gluten 
feed in place of part of the cotton seed. 
A Dry Forage Cow Ration. 
IF. L. A., Abrams, Pa. —We have a dairy of 16 common cows'; 
some of them have been giving milk since the Spring and Sum¬ 
mer of 1897, two of them are heifers with the first calf, and three 
dry cows. We are shipping 100 quarts of milk to Philadelphia 
every day. I would like to have a balanced ration of the follow¬ 
ing: Standard Spring-wheat bran, Empire gluten feed, cotton¬ 
seed meal, corn-and-cob meal, and corn stover. 
With nothing but corn stover for coarse fodder', it 
will be necessary, in compounding a ration, to use a 
large proportion of grain feeds. If part of the rough- 
age could consist of clover or fine hay, it would make 
a better ration. 1 would suggest the following from 
the feeds given, and would recommend the use of 
two grain rations, in order that one of them may be 
fed according to the milk flow of the different cows : 
Ration for Cows Givino 10 to 20 Pounds ok Milk Per Day. 
Kind of feed. Dry .—Digestible Nutrients^ Nut. 
Basal Ration. Amt. Matter. Protein. Fat. Carbo-hyd.Ratio. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
1: 
Corn stover. 
15 
12.9 
.38 
.17 
6.93 
Corn-and-cob meal_ 
2 
1.8 
.09 
.06 
1.37 
Wheat bran. 
4 
3.5 
.48 
.11 
1.54 
Cotton-seed meal. 
2 
1.8 
.74 
.24 
.34 
Empire gluten feed.. 
o 
1.8 
.45 
.07 
.98 
Prot. mixture for cows 
21.8 
2.14 
.65 
11.16 
5.9 
gi vin g 20 to 25 pou nds 
of milk per day. 
C.-S. meal, 1 part- i 
Gluten feed, 1 part, f 
i 
0.9 
.30 
.08 
.33 
For cows giving 25 to 
22.7 
2.44 
.73 
11.49 
5.4 
30 pounds. 
Basal ration as above. 
21.8 
2.14 
,66 
11.16 
Protein mixture. 
•> 
l.s 
.60 
.16 
.66 
23.6 
2.74 
.81 
11.82 
5.0 
The first or basal grain ration may be mixed in 
lots of 1,000 pounds by using the proportions indi¬ 
cated, and should be fed to all cows of the herd at the 
rate of 10 pounds per day. The second or protein mix¬ 
ture, which consists of equal parts of cotton-seed meal 
and gluten feed, should be used at the rate of a pound 
a day (in addition to the first mixture) for each five 
pounds increase in milk for cows giving over 20 pounds 
(about 10 quarts) per day. By weighing a half bushel 
of each of the grain mixtures, it will be easy 
to estimate the weight of each per quart, and by this 
means, the proper measure of feed can be easily de¬ 
termined. 
