Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-10-12
Attention Called to Law Linn
iting Amount Of Water
in Butter
Experiments Being Made With
Eggs for HjaiI.tIlc''hIliinllg and
Their Fertility

4
Inquiry has come to President
Worst in regard to the adulteration
of farm butter and asking If dairy
butter containing more than 16 per
cent of moisture would be consider
ed as adulterated. The reports from
Washington stating that hereafter
butter containing more than 16 per
cent moisture would be taxed Zoe
a pound and a manufacturers license
fee of $500 per year be charged has
attracted the attention of some of
the North Dakota farmers who are
making home dairy butter They
write asking the president if these
restrictions apply to farm butter as
well as to creamery. Butter made
strictly for home use may contain
any amount of moisture, but as soon
as it is offered for sale it is differ
ent matter and If found to be con
tanning more than 16 per cent Of
moisture the manufacturer is liable
to the fine imposed for the violation
of the law. The amount of moisture
contained in butter is almost entire
" dependent upon the way the cream
is handled during the churning, and,
lastly, the temperatures at which the
butter is washed. At first thought
it seems rather unjust that lack of
knowledge as to the proper methods
of making butter so as to incorpor-
ate the proper amount of moisture
sh, uld be considered willful disobed-
fence Of the law, but such is the case.
The law takes it for granted that the
manufacturer knows what he is do
ing and no allowance is made for ig-
norance. There is absolutely no way
of telling by the looks how much
moisture the butter contains, for Of
ten the butter containing the most
moisture will look the driest. In
order that this be determined it
must be subjected to a special test
The test Is not at all difficult to un-
derstand and the students of the
farm husbandry course taking up
dairying this winter will be taught
how to apply it. The methods of
manufacturing butter so that the
moisture content will come within
the required limit will also be taught.
The agricultural department is
carrying on some interesting expert
ments on the climatic conditions
which affect the fertility of eggs
Each season in the early spring many
send long distances to get eggs from
pure bred focks for setting purposes.
Often the eggs are sent by express
and are hours in transit, sometimes
days on the railroad. They are often
allowed to stand where it is cold and
sometimes become frosted in the ex-
press Office. Extended experiments
have been carried on by the station
to determine Just how much cold the
eggs will stand and still hatch with
out a heavy loss, and also to deter
mine how many days they may be
kept.
One hundred and thirty acres of
clover is fiourishing in the stubhle
at the a.. G. a good catch has been
secured from all the spring seedlings
notwithstanding the fact that heavy
crops Of oats and barley were har-
vested from the nurse crops. The old
clover fields also returned fine yield
this season. Profs. Sheppard and
Churchill have demonstrated that
clover Is a success when well hand
led Glover is now being grown ex-
clusiyely in the valley Such results
seem Infectious and the station has
exposed the farmer to clover as
strongly as possible
4.5.t