THE SUMMER CREAM.

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 138, 7 December 1918, Page 11

THE SUMMER CREAM.

Now that the hot weather is coming on, and I suppose that we shall get some summer snis year, we may expect to hear the women of the house complain about tbo sjoftness of the butter and the difficulty that they are experiencing in the manufacture of it (says "Rusticus"). Thore is little that a more man can do in the matter, but he has to hear all abont it. Of course, there are many pi us who havo to assist in tho making- of tho butter now that help in the house is hard to procuro. Tho churning usually falls to the lot of some male pewon, unless the times are) too busy to allow that, bit of help to bo given to tho busy housewife. There are a good manj kinds of fat in butter, and some of them are softer than others. It is said that the feed that the cows eat in summer tends to the_ production of tho softor fats;.so., .we arc-in rather a difficult position if we try to remedy tie matter of, soft buttor b*r giving the animals a different course of diet. Presumably, in the winter the food that is given then tends to supply hard fats to the cream. In that way wo find that when the soft fats are wanted the feed is of the wrong kind, and when hard fats are required the food that is on the spot is not suitable fof their production. The best that we can do is to keep the cream as cool as possible. If there is a nool chamber of any sort the matter can be got over easily, and when electricity comes to our farms I have no doubt tiat we shall all have something in the shape of a cool chamber. At the present time wo might have a ,cool chamber in which to keep things if we cared to go to a little trouble The dairy should be built of brick, stone, or concrete,, and it is a good thing to have a few willow trees round it in the surrmer, though in tho winter they may bo somewhat in the way. If thn dairy is hot, the oreara should ba placed in th© coolest place to be found, and that is sometimes down the well, if there i» one- at the homestead. The deeper the well tho better. The well will also come in useful for the procuring of the water for the washing, because the water will be cool and fresh. Tho best temperature for tho keeping of cream during the summer months is about 60 or 65 degrees. Tho churn should be rinsed out with cold wator after it has been scalded, ao that it may be as cool as possible. The oream should not bo handiud any more than is necessary, and the butter also should not be touched any more than can be helped. .When tho butter comes to the granulated stage the cold water should be put in. If the butter is allowed to come to the whole stage before the water is added it will not bo possible to do much with it if the stuff is soft. When the butter has come it should be washed in the churn till the water runs dear. If the butter is then too soft to be touched il should be put in a vessel of some sort and placed m a cool place overnight, the salt first of . all being added. Then the butter should be made up in the early morning. Indeed, it is advisable to make the butter'first thing in any case during the summer months before the sun gets up to its full strength. Tho work will be less arduous and the stuff -will be got out of the, way before it becomes unmanageable.