Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1877 — About Churning. [ARTICLE]

About Churning.

Churning in summer is best done in the morning early, while it is cool; in winter it must be done in a warm place. Rapid churning is not the best, but an even, steady, moderately slow time is; fifty or sixty strokes of the dash per minute will generally bring the butter in thirty minutes. If the cream is slightly acid and of right temperature, say 55" to 60 it will require less than half an hour. We believe that butter produced in about that time—or in forty minutes—is better for keaping than that produced in longer or shorter time. If it is not the right temperature, set it in a moderately warm place until it is, or place the can in a large boiler of warm water until it is fight The churn should not be soaked over night, In the morning put in a quart of boiling water, chum it one minute, then draw it off an<]. pour in a pailful of cold water to remain in the chum five minutes. The cream is then agitated un til a complete separation of the fatty matter from the milky fluid nas been effected. All the buttery particles ot the cream or milk are encased with thin pellicles of casein, or cheesy particles of milk. If the churning is done so quickly as to fail to break up or separate the casein pellicles from the oily or buttery particles, the butter will have that cheesy flavor which all dislike so much. If the butter will not gather, pour into the churn some icecold milk. Much butter is spoiled by churning the cream too warm. The churn should be as nearly straight up and down as possible, and the dash should stir all the milk every stroke it makes, so that the butter should all come at the same time. Care should be taken that the dash shall strike the top of the cream and the bottom' of the chum at every stroke. If the chum be filled, so that the dash cannot strike the top of the cream, the operation can scarcely be accomplished. Rapid churning should be avoided at the Commencement, though the motion may be accelerated after tne cream curdles with butter. There are mauy favorite churns of the barrel pattern. We believe, however, the best is the simplest—the old-fashioned upright churn, which can be so arranged as to work the dasher with dog or horse-power. The size of the churn and other dairy utensils should, of course, be prpportioned to the requirements of the dairy. In large dairies in Chester County are used barrel chums worked by horse-power. The churn is a large barrel, bulging only enough to make the hoopsdrive well, with a journal or bearing in the center of each head, and resting on two uprights, so that it may be revolved by horse-power, or in favorable situations, by water power from an over-shot wheel. This barrel has stationary short arms attached to the inside of the staves, so arranged as to cause the greatest disturbance of the milk as it passes through them in the turning of the chum. At one side is a large opening, secured by a cover that is firmly fastened in its place; this is the cover or lid of the churn. Near it is a hole less than an inch in diameter for testing the state of the churning, and for drawing off buttermilk; this is closed with a wooden plug. This hole also allows the escape of the very last drop of the buttermilk or water when the butter has collected. Churn as often as once a week, and as much oftener as circumstances will permit. Upon churning, add the cream upon all the milk in the dairy. Buttermakers in this country seem to be thoroughly divided in opinion upon the question of churning the whole milk or only the cream. By far the greatest majority in this country churn the cream, while in England, Scotland, and a good part of Ireland, the milk is churned in quite as many cases as the cream- In small dairies the quality must be much improved, for by churning the milk the risk of tainted cream is avoided. Some of our best premium dairies churn the milk. The most common objection to churning the milk is the labor, but power is now so cheap (horse, dog, or sheep) that the objection has little force as compared with the increased quantity and improved quality. Beside, when the labor, time and trouble! of skimming and taking care of the cream are taken into account, we doubt whether there is any increase of labor. Another objection to churning the whole

milk is the amount of casein contained in it. Ossein is highly nitrogenous and soon decays, emitting a disagreeable odor and Imparting it readily to other substances. Where the entire milk and cream are churned, when the milk is strained it is allowed to remain without being skimmed until the cream is sufficiently ripe for churning. This point Is ascertained when a tnick, uneven scum or veil appears on its surface. As in the other case, each meal’s milk is always strained into separate vessels; and although all the cream, when put into the churn, is not of the same degree of ripeness, still this does not affect the whole; and the tem perature, as also the variation of motion during the process of churning, is precisely the same; beside, the quality and produce of butter will be not only equal, but more than from cream only.— Willu P: Hazard.