The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-01-27

rich in fat to make cheese. Four per
cent of fat is about all that the best
cheese-maker can retain in the cheese,
and it requires skill, and all the proper
| conditions of temperature, manipulation
and perfection of material and apparatus
to accomplish this; and thenit is ques-
ton whether just as acceptable cheese
may not be made with one per cent
less of fat. Very few, even among ex-
perts, can tell the exact per cent of fat
in an otherwise high grade of cheese,
except by analysis. Other things be-
sides mere richness in fat are essen
tial to first-class cheese. These other
things being all right, even three per
cent cheese may be highly acceptable
to consumers-even, for some uses,
preferable to richer cheese. But I'M
der the present state of opinion and
prejudice with dealers, shippers and
the public, it will not answer for the
manufacturer to remove any of the
cream from the milk used for cheese.
Therefore, in all ordinary cases, when
milk is coming to the factory that runs
much over three and one-half per cent
of fat, it is more profitable to make but
ter than cheese. Later in the season,
when the fat in the milk lessons, or is
not so easily recovered as cream, the
whole milk can be made into the high
est grade of full-mlk cheese. The
present methods of testing milk for fat
are so perfect and so simple that the
determinations can be made with prac-
tically perfect exactness and certainty.
Another point in this connection was
made-that even if we could make a
five per cent cheese, we should not get
a quarter more in weight than when we
made four per cent cheese, for though
we might have that much more solids,
we should lose some of the water, so
that theexcess ofcream, if got safely into
the cheese, would not count towards its
marketable weight, and so far would be
total loss to the maker. Yet it will
not do to remove any of the cream, for
buyers of cheese are so suspicious on
this point that they absolutely refuse
to patronize such Acknowledgement
though the cheese itself is in every par
ticular right in quality, so far as they
can determine. This being the state
of the case, business sense requires
that in factories where both butter and
cheese are made, it must not be done
at the same time. While the milk is
above four per cent fat, butter-making
alone should be done. When it falls
below that point, either butter or
cheese can be made, but not both.
Professor Cooke called attention to
the fact that the color of skim-milk does
not always, or commonly, indicate its
richness. Analysis shows that there is
as much fat in the blue skim-milk as in
the white. This may be hard to be-
lieve, but it has been sufficiently proved.
Another very important matter is that
it is much easier to get all the cream by
gravity when the cows are fresh than
later. Right after calving, the milk
carries the fat in large globules, and is
less viscid, so that the cream rises
easily and more completely. When
this time passes, if not before, economy
requires the use of the separator if but
ter is made; but for cheese this DISPOSE
ton to slow and imperfect separation
is an absolute loss.
The question of ripening" cream
was discussed by Professor Cooke at
some length, as also the supposed con-
nection of "ripeness with acidity.
He declared that it has been proved
that there is no necessary connection
between the two, though they are COM
monty found together-that is, cream
may be ripe without being acid, or it
may be acid without being ripe. Con-
sequently we have the choice between
churning ripe sweet cream, or ripe acid
cream. 1t seems to be chiefly ques-
ton of temperature in churning "a
lower temperature being required for
sweet than for sour cream. But at
present the taste of American consum-
ers, with little exception, is for butter
made from acid cream.
The question of Dairy rersus Factory
Butter was discussed, and Professor
Cooke, while advising the factory as
the most profitable in most cases, ad-
mitted that dairy butter, when we'll
made, keeps much better than creamery
butter. This is attributed to the fact
that it is so much more thoroughly
worked, and contains less water. The
professor added that unquestionably if
dairyman follows the best methods he
could realize a much better price for
his product than by taking his milk to
creamery.