Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-08-09

not violently disturbed; aud even when so
disturbed they cannot be made to unite ex-
cept within certain rather narrow limits OF
temperature, while the milk itself remains
pure and uudecomposed.
So long as these oil drops remain dsunited,
they may be heated 10 scaldiug heat aud
cooled, even more than once, without injury
10 the butter. Under certain circumstances
this heating will favor their separation from
the milk by the action Of gravity IS
the risingof the cream. But If uudisturbed
they will always tend towards the surface at
all Temperatures from scalding down 10 freez-
ing; and. according to recent experiments,
the colder the milk, so long as it remains
fluid, the more quickly aud completely this
rising occurs.
When these oil globules are cooled, they
become solidihed, and are then butter glob-
ules. They crowd together upon the surface
Of the milk, closer aud closer, hour by hour,
so long as the milk lying between them re-
mains sufficiently fluid TO permit them to do
so. This phenomenon, which is best oh
served by removing the cream at the end of
twenty-four hours, TO test tube-is called
the shrinking OF the cream and if it is
not understood, error will occur in the esti-
mate of the relative amount OF cream in the
milk Of individual cows, since some cream
shrinks more than others
In order 10 make these globues adhere to-
gether and form butter, it is necessary to
agitate the cream in a suitable vessel at a
proper temperature. If too cold, they will
not adhere for the same reason that cold
butter is crumbly particles of fat not
being adhesive at low temperature. IT,,
on the other hand, the cream is too warm,
the beating Of the chun is ineffective to Sc
cure adhesion of the globules, since warm
fat, in half-oiy state, will not cohere into
plastic mass, such as we expect butter to
be. The right temperature for securing the
best results is in the neighborhood OF sixty
degrees.
The physical condition of the butter glob-
ules when they adhere, under the action of
the chunn, has very important influence
upon the commercial value Of the product.
As they join globule to globule, the little
visible to the naked eye. Surprising the
right temperature TO have been preserved
now is a very critical period in the opera
ton. "Oyer-chumiug has the same effect
as over-working," to destroy what is called
the "grain of the butter. This "grain
is simply the preservation of the form 81
the little pellets, distinct from each other
and is effected by first lowering the temper
ature little so as TO harden them slightly
yet not enough to prevent moderate cohe
sion when pressed together. The succeed
ing process of removing the adhering butter
milk and replacing it with small quantit,
of strong, clear, pure brine requires tn
highest skill of the dairyman, and supposinl
all preceding operations to have beef
rightly performed is the determining crisi
that decides whether we shall have perfec
product, waxy and uniform in texture AM
color, and that can be kept sweet for lon
period--or a salyey, streaked mass, tina
hastens rapidly to rancidity.
Thus we have tried to answer briefly, Tia
query, "What is butter ?" and the facts "
have stated are all of them important fc
butter-makers TO know, since they each hay
a more or less direct and important bearin
upon the practical operations required {
them in developing "gilt-edged article
trade from the milk of their herds.