The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-09

The process of manufacturing creamery butter in a modern factory is just as technical as the manufacture of piece Of cotton cloth. In most in- stances the milk is skinned on the farm by means of hand-operated centrifugal separator, which extracts the cream much more efficiently than the old-time gravity system. The cream may be hauled to the creamery by the farmer or it may be shipped in from farm 100 or more miles away.
 As the cans of cream arrive they are inspected and sampled in order to determine their value for butter making. The cream is then poured into huge vats holding 300, 500, or more gallons, in each of which is a coil, or similar device, that when put in motion agitates the cream and thoroughly mixes it. Hot water and steam can be turned into these coils t oheat the cream. In many cream cries the cream is heated in this way to temperature of about 145 degrees F., held at that temperatures for about 30 minutes and then cooled. The process is known as pasteurization. The object is to kill any disease germs that may be in the cream and to de- stray nearly all other bacteria. This protects the health of the consumer, improves the keeping properties of the butter, and enables the creameryman to control the ripening of the cream and develop the proper flavor; it also insures a uniform flavor in the butter.
 A Starter Produces Flavor.
 By running cold water through the coils in the vat the cream is colled to temperature of between 60 degrees and 70 degrees F., and then a quan- tity of starter is added to produce the flavor. The starter is a culture con taining many millions of lactic-acid bacteria grown in pasteurized skim milk until the milk has soured and curdled. The lactic-acid bacteria pro- duce the desirable flavor in ripened- cream butter. When the cream is Suf- ficiently ripened or soured it is cooled to a temperature of between 40 de- grees and 60 degrees F. and held at that temperature for hours or more after which it is run into one of the huge churns which have capacity of 1000 or more pounds of butter 1 Although commonly called churns they really are combined churns and workers, because, unlike home butter making, the butter is both churned and worked in the machine.
 The churn is filled only one-third ! or one-half full, so that when revolved I the cream which is carried up by the
 motion of the churn has plenty o- room to fall The concussion thu! produced causes the minute globule' of butterfat to gather into granule'
 of butter. When the churn is stopped
 after having been run for about ar hour granules of butter about the siz'
 of grains of wheat or corn will b, floating on the surface of the butter milk. Then the buttermilk is draw1 off through a hole in the bottom O
 the churn and the butter granule
 washed with pure, cold water Afte
 draining, salt is aded to the granula
 butter which is still in the churn.
 The big wooden rollers are then pu
 into1 gear, the churp started and tn
 butter worked in the churn until tn
 salt is all dissolved and the butter ha
 a waxy body. The butter is remove,
 and packed into tubs or made int pound prints and put into cartons il the form in which it goes to the con sumer.
 Many creameries have ve1l-equip