The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-09-06
DANISH BUTTER.
Prof. Mckay Tells the Secret of Masking.
Thinks American Buttermakers Really
the Bsst.

Thinks American buttermakerS Really
the Bsst.
Ames, Iowa, Sept. 3.-Professor g.
L. Mckay has just returned from a
trip through Europe for the depart
ment of agriculture. at Washington.
He left Ames about three months ago
and visited Holland, Belgium, Den
mark and Germany. He was sent to
make observations in regard to the
different methods employed in the
manuf acture of cheese and butter.
His observations will be published in
a bulletin to be issued by the depart
menU. Professor Mckay says:
''I tested a lot of butter in England
for moisture and the driest butter I
found was from New Zealand, some of
it running down to about eight per
cent. Danish butter averages about 10
per cent. Russia was very irregular
some very fine, but good deal of it
had rank flavor. 1t will get over
that after awhile however, and l
believe that Russia will come to the
front rapidly. Some of the highest
selling butter was the French two
pound unsalted rolls. My experience
with the Irish butter is that it lacks
body which results largely from the
fact that it is churned at high tenn
perature. 1t contains lots of water,
some samples testing 20 to % per cent
moisture. This question is now before
the English parliament and it seems
probable that it will be settled on the
basis of about 10 or Is per cent water
at has been great problem to me
that the Danish butter has higher
percentage of water than ours has, yet
at the. same time it has mealy, dry
appearance. Investigation showed
that their method of churning and
working was peculiar. The churning
is done at moderately high tempera-
ture, and the butter comes soft. 1t is
dropped at once into cold water and
then put on the table and worked
three-quarters of a minute, after
which it is again put on cold water
for a moment, then brought back
and worked one to one and quarter
This makes only two min
utes of working. When finished it is
packed into kegs for the market. 1t
is said that this methed is used to get
the buttermilk out and to have it clear
but it is probably intended to work |
the water into the butter as WELL The
Danish butter will average per cent |
more water than ours and yet does not |
show it. My discoveries in this line
will be followed by experiments in our
at Ames.
lone reason why the Danes turn out /
such uniformly fine butter is that they
pastuerize almost entirely. In that
country they have a number of inspec-
tors who go around to dairies and |
and see hatssthings are ali !,
right When the butter is found to be
faulty the buttermaker is told tol
change his starter. The buttermakers |
work by rule and can rarely give a
reason for what they do. In this they |
contrast strongly with our butter \
makers. think on general principles
that the American buttermakers are !
better than the Danish. The point |
want to make is that if a Dane is |
asked for an explanation as why he did /
This thing or that, he cannot tell you. |
Put the same question to our butter |
makers and they know why everything /
is done and what will result from their
work.
81 was told by the proprietor of a |
hotel in London that the best butter
they were getting came, from Hazel !,
wood creamery of Sioux. City, Iowa.
and was made by Hortenson.
: Professor Mckay says that the fight
should now be made on the milk sup
ply. In the paststhe greatest efforts
have been made in the direction of |
the buttermakers and to
leach them how to make the best
grade of butter out of the material at
1and. Now the patrons must be taught
more fully the Importance of better
care Of the milk, and until the stand
ard of milk is raised it will be difficult
% improve the quality of the butter.
The professor visited Holland and
sought to find out the secrets connect
I'd with the making of fancy cheeeses.
He was more than pleased with the
:esults of his investigation of the sub
Jet and promises to tell about it fully
n special bulletin.
ChnErNL GE