The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1916-10-27
MAKING BUTTER
GET BEST PRICE
CAREFUL METHODS CERTAIN
TO PAY DOLLARS AND
CENTS IN DAIRY.
Buy Good Thermometer and Watch
Temperature Carefully; 'Ranch ,
Butter, if Made Properly, Will
Bring Best Prices.

The fact that ranch butter sells in
the Montana markets at five to ten
cents a pound lower than creamery
butter indicates that the buying pub
lie is suspicious of butter made on the
farm. However in nearly every local
lty we find one or possibly several
persons producing ranch butter for
which there is steady demand in the
local market at pAlce equal to that
paid for the creamery product. If the
reason is sought for the superior prod
uct of the few and the inferior prod
uct of the many, it will generally be
found that the successful producer is
careful and exact in his dairy meth
DDS while his less successful COMPETE
tor works on a rule Of thumb basis,
trusting mostly to luck that his prod
uct will be satisfactory.
improvement in the quality Of but
ter made on hundreds Of Montana
ranches can be secured by following
more careful methods.
Temperature Important.
Temperature is factor which is all
too frequently regulated by guess rath-
er than by thermometer. One of the
first acts Of the rancher who decides
to use improved methods is to buy a
good dairy thermometer, for tempera-
ture plays very important part in the
development of butter flavors. Cream
skinned or mechanically separated
should be set aside in separate milk
lngs in clean place and kept at a
temperature Of so degrees f. or lower.
About II hours before churning the
separate patches should be put to-
gether, stirred we'll, and brought to a
temperature of 20 degrees by placing
the container in a bucket of warm
water. The cream should be kept at
approximately this temperature until
just before churning when it should be
reduced to about So degrees f.
Of the various types Of churns, the
barrel form has given the best results.
The dasher or plunger types require
more labor in churning. Churns with
complicated mechanical devices inside
them are difficult to clean and some
times injure the body of the butter.
Scald the Churn.
The churn should be scalded pre-
paratory to churning but should be
cooled with cold water before the
cream is placed inside. The cream
should be poured in through a coarse
strainer. Every few minutes during
the early part of the churnig, the
churn should be opened to allow gas
to escape. If the temperature is right
the churning should require from 25
to 80 minutes. The process is COM
pleted when the granules Of butter
are about the size of wheat kernels.
The butter milk should then be drain
ed off and the butter granules repeat
edly washed with cold water while
still in the churn. The washing should
be continued until all milk is removed.
Under no circumstances should work
ing be depended upon to remove sur
plus milk.
When the butter is free from all
milk it should be taken from the churn
with a paddle and placed on work
er. The hands should never touch the
butter both on account of sanitary
reasons and because the body warmth
may melt the fat.
Proportion Of Salt.
Before the butter is worked fine
salt should be added at the rate of an
ounce to pound of fat.
Butter should be prepared for mar
let in rectangular mold since when
in this shape the product is more cas-
lily wrapped and handled and is more
pleasing to customers. Regular parch-
ment butter-wrapping paper should be
used as ordinary waxed paper tears
easily and sticks to the butter. The
placing of the wrapped prints in paste
board boxes is desirable final step
as it protects the butter and gives the
package a much better appearance.
After the butter-making operations
are completed it is important to care
fully clean the churn. First rinse with
warm water, then scrub with hot wa
ter using cleansing powder and fiber
brush; finally scald and set the churn
in a clean sunny place to drain and
dry.
Don't expect too much help. The
Il