The Somerset reporter., 1897-01-07
Maine Butter OFF Flavor.

One thing strikes US as peeu liar IN the
butter score as made at the late Maine
dairy conference at Showhegan and the
score on similar grades Of butter exhibited
at the Massachusetts meeting of the Board
of Agriculture at Greenfield, held at the
same time. Inasmuch as the expert Judges
who did the scoring were both Boston
market men. and both have frequently
scored Maine dairy products, we should
naturally expect that the standard or the
criterion by which the various points were
determined, would be quite uniform with
the two judges Yet we find that the
highest score tor Maine butter at Skowhe-
gan, made by Mr.. Harris was 1884 points,
while at Greenfield the highest made by
Mr.. Bent was 973.4, Just j points higher;
the same scale OF points was used by both.
This seems to show that Maine butter is
not yet quite up to the standard of quality
with Massachusetts, dairies.O ne very sig
nihcant fact, it seems to US, is shown by
consulting the tabulated score of the sam
Piles Of butter shown at Skowhegan.
Taking the dairy samples in both class
es the 70 samples were perfect in packing ;
all but two were perfect in salt-these two
off IL points each; in color one sample
only of a whole point; texture ran quite
even and yerged so near to perfection
that only one sample was off point ;
most Of the other delinquents only ID a
point in IS.
Now we come to the most essential
point, flavor. The sample-only one
nearest to perfect, or IS points, was II
points below par. One other sample
scored g IL, two samples %, and one
% 81, five samples 02 IL, and six sam
pies o., and so on down the scale.
The critical test, as we have shown by
the nearness to perfection in all the sam
pies to texture, color, salt and packing,
hinges on favor. Here is the great lack
Now, what was the cause of this serious
delinquency in flavor Of all these samples
of otherwise almost perfect butter
The inquiry is pertinent one, and the
rational conclusion must be that the great
fault of this faulty flavor lies at the door of
the handler of the milk Maine COWS are
Just as good as the COWS anywhere else in
New England. We venture to say that
the art of feeding dairy stock has reached
as high place in Maine as in Massachu-
sets. No better hay or silage is produced
in the world than Maine farmers yearly
secure to carry their stock through the
winter months. Where then % the dis
crepency2 This is the question Maine
dairymen should strive to answer and at
once.
One thing is pretty certain, milk of in
flavor will produce butter off in favor If
the COWS are kept clean; the stable clean
and deodorized; the milking done in a
clearly manner by a clean mixer, and i'm
mediatey carried to a pure atmosphere
and set for creaming the cream properly
ripened and churned will not show to 8
points off in flavor at the hands of so ex-
pert butter makers that all other points
are at the perfection mark.
1t would be interesting to know what
deleterious hayors or qualities were pres
ent in all these samples of butter that
knocked off these points in flavor. if the
expert Judges could tell. Whether it was
cotton seed or ensilage favors, or the
rankness of "cowey odors," the latter SO
often cover to the daryman's sins of un-
cleanliness. A fault of this kind unmasked
is half remedied. .KaiNe Farmer.