Practical Agriculture.

Lake County Press, Issue 2491, 14 August 1913, Page 2

Practical Agriculture.

i ORIGINAL ARTICLES iß't B S.C) I IMM nib written fo. ihi» iolu*nr. | All Rights Reserve* I MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

The maximum amount of .moisture in butter allowed is 16 per cent., and in a contention that this maximum was too low, the point was submitted to a committee of experts, which states: 'We are unanimous in agreeing that huttermakers should take no chances on the question oi' excessive moisture in butter. Water is a natural constituent of butter, the same as fat and casein. When we churn butter in the natural granular condition from about 95 to 98 per cent, of the water contents comes from the milk, which has been secreted from the blood by the cow, and we believe there is necessity for making butter anj' other way. The excessive churning of butter, or working, it ' in water, certainly injures the grain, ! and is not to he recommended." J Amongst experiments quoted by this committee it is stated in a representative one conducted at a large factory, they had no difficulty in retaining all the moisture that was necessary, and that amounted to 14 per cent. ' Different lots of butter made from the ' same cream varied in the per cents, of moisture from 12 to 15.88 per cent., according to the different methods used, ' and yet all this butter was churned in , a granular condition. This butte; | was sent to three loading English mar- ' kets, as well as to New York market. Ia ad the scores of the high and low I moisture were practically all the same. I From the- general results of this work j it was found that the water content up i to the per cents, named above had no I effect on the quality, especially when | butter was churned in a granular cohi dition. A thick cream, or one containing 30 or 40 per cent, fat, gave a I larger over-run than a Lin cream, or a ' cream containing about 20 per cent, fat, ■ unless some artificial methods had beei; i used in the latter case. By the term over-iuu, the committee explains; that what is meant is the amount of casein, salt, and water in- ' corporated with butter other than fat I Salt in butter usually runs from 1 to | per cent., and is held in solution in the water. Where excessive salting is re- ! sorted to, it appears gritty in the but- ! tor. Water in butter was found to take up about 18 per cent, of its bulk in salt !in a saturated solution. When going j beyond this amount the salt did not dis- ■ solve, hence the higher per cent, of ! water the greater amount of salt can I be used. The casein in butter was found to vary slightly, usually running I from Ito 1* per cent. When cream was j very sour, so that casein was precipitated and the butter not washed much, j the amount of casein ran sometimes I from 2to 3 per cent, ft was considered \ not desirable to increase the per cent, of casein above normal conditions, as : there would be a tendency to injure j the quality of the butter. The great ! varying factor in butter was found to be water. The variation in dairy but- ; ter sometimes ran from 9 to 25 per cent. j Among the general conclusions arrived at by this committee the following are of the most instructive value: I Butter made from thin cream and } churned at a low temperature gathers I very slowly, for these reasons: 1. The fat "globules arc distributed in a large volume of milk serum, and the chance of striking one another is less than in • thick cream. 2. The low temperature hardens the fat so that the globules do ; not cohere readily, and may probably I strike together several times before ad ; hering. The surface of such granules i usually becomes smooth, and the gran--1 ule itself becomes very compact. A I rich cream that has been kept at a comparatively high temperature will churn very rapidly. The globules are in close proximity, and there are naturally more chances of striking to- : gether to form large masses'. Butter : churned from this kind of cream has a tendency to gather in irregularshaped granules, which are not driven together so violently, consequently they hold more water or moisture. If cream is churned at a very high temperature the result is that butter will gather : quickly and incorporate an excessive ! amount of water and casein, which j will affect the body and color. An ex- ■ cessive amount of water has a tendency | to make the butter lifeless and pale jin colour. A 35 per cent, to 38 per ; cent, cream will give as good satis! acj tion in churning as cream of any other | per cent. Churning at .10 to 52 deI grees, or at a low enough temperature j so that butter will gather in 40 or -io minutes in granules about as large as wheat, and not too soft or too hard, ! will produce butter of the very best j quality. Long churnings or quick churnings are not desirable. A large [ sized granule is conducive to high J moisture.

CUTTING CLOVER

Clover is usually cut when in lull flower, or even a week earlier, and requires a tew (lavs of Hue weather, neither too bright and drying nor dull and showerv. It should not be tossed or tedded, but gently handled to avoid loss of leaf. It should be turned, and then hand-raked together into windrow (three swaths to a row), and cocked, the cocks may be opened and spread during fine days, and closed again before night, and about, four days of this treatment should be sufficient, provided the weather is suitable. Over-making is to be avoided, and it is here that practical knowledge is of importance. Strong-honed clover does not he so close in the rick as young grass, and is less liable to heat injuriously. It is, however, quite capable of over-heating, and where this happens the hay comes out black instead of a rich brown colour, and contracts a bitter flavour and an acrid smell. The principal mistakes made in handling clover hay are:- (1) Allowing the crop to grow too old before cutting; (2) tedding and horse-raking, which are too rough for the tender leaves; (3) leaving the swaths exposed too long to drying winds ; and (4) too greal timiditv as to carting it to rick. A certain"degree of heating or sweating is beneficial, and, if the hay is too dry to settle, the result is a hollow or frothy rick. Well-made clover hay should run

from uino to ten cubic yards to the ton, and this, result cannot be achieved without a certain degree of heating.

WHEAT FOOD VALUES FOR POULTRY. Many poultry keepers who are used to feeding their birds on various meals have very little idea of their composition. And now just a few words on the meals which are used for the soft food of fowls. The meals derived from wheat may be said to form the chief ingredients of soft food, just as wheat forms the principal grain food. When the miller grinds wheat he produces, counting from the Hour outwards, five separate things—lirst, line sharps, sometimes called toppings or boxings. This is very tine, and contains gluten and phosphate of lime. Second, coarser sharps, which is of a somewhat similar colour to the fine mentioned above. As, however, it contains less phosphate of lime and gluten, it is not so nourishing. Third, hue pollard, which contains gluten and silica or flint, and a little limo and husk. Fourth and fifth, coarse pollard and bran. All of these products of wheat we use extensively in the feeding of poultry : indeed, without them we should be in a bad way. They pre the by-products, when the flour has li ■on separated for human use, and are often called milling offal:— Fine sharps or Middlings comprise:— Albuminoids, 16.0; fats, 4.0: carbohydrates, 37; salts, 4..5. These are used mixed with barley meal, bran, ground oats, etc., in soft food for fowls, and form an excellent, easily digested mixture.. Bran is thus analysed:. Albuminoids, 15.0; fats, 4.0; carbohydrates, 44.0; salts, 0.0 ; husk, 16.0. Bran is seen to be high in albuminoids, and carries a fair amount of fat. The older poultry books condemned bran as being indigestible, but now it is not only used as a food for adult birds, but is largely used as a chick food. It will be noted that there is 16.0 of husk in bran and only 2.3 husk in whole wheat. There is more husk in bran than there is in any whole grain or seed, with the exception of oats and sunflower seed. When given to adult fowls in soft food it is best to scald it first, and then mix it witli sharps or middlings. Bran should be used fresh. It soon becomes affected by damp, and unless it can be kept in a dry place it should only be bought in small quantities. When exposed to damp it rapidly ferments, and if given to fowls in this condition it is apt to set up diarrhoea.