UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA agricultural experiment Station COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE E - J - Wickson, d.rector BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA CIRCULAR No. 48 BUTTER SCORING CONTEST 1909 HERBERT A. HOPPER At a meeting of the California Creamery Operators' Association at San Francisco in November, 1908, the discussion, on one occasion at least, led ns to believe that the time was ripe to establish among Cali- fornia buttermakers an Educational Butter Scoring Contest. Some weeks later a circular letter proposing a contest was sent out to as many buttermakers of the state as could be located, as well as to the dairy and agricultural press. The original suggestion included a Cheese Scoring Contest as well, but from the results of this first request for an expression of opinion, it developed that there was little to support a cheese contest but that the creamery buttermakers were ready and willing to subscribe to any reasonable plan to inaugurate a Butter Scoring Contest. So far, the creamery men of California had had no opportunity to submit their butter in a systematic way to scoring and criticism and the plan appealed to them. As will be seen later, they came to the support of the plan adopted and continued throughout the year as steadfast as conditions would permit them to be. Those who are at all familiar with creamery and dairy conditions throughout California know that there is a great opportunity for educational work in the direction of improved methods in butter- making. While our butter output has gone forward in the past few years with leaps and bounds and now assumes immense financial proportions, it is not true that sound theory and practice has kept pace in every instance. For this reason, an educational contest for the busy buttermaker who cannot often leave the churn long enough to take a short course of instruction, seemed to offer admirable oppor- tunities for improvement. At specified times he may ship an entry, have it scored and criticised, and thereby profit greatly. It was with these educational features in mind that the following plan was adopted. PLAN OF CONTEST. 1. One class only — Creamery butter. 2. The score card recommended by the U. S. Dairy Division to be used. 3. The butter submitted to represent the regular run. 4. Each contestant limited to one 20-lb. cubical package. 5. To compete for. prizes, each contestant must submit an entry to each of the six contests during the year. 6. Each contestant to prepay all express charges on his entries and donate one entry to the premium fund; the receipts from all other entries to be refunded. 7. Each entry to be scored, criticised and tested for moisture, and the results reported to the buttermaker sending the entry. PREMIUM. In addition to the money obtained from the first entry, a few supply and commission men responded to our call so that the premium fund for the first year finally reached $123.96. This amount has been drawn upon in purchasing the prizes, printing the certificates, and for a few other minor matters concerned with the contest. "With this small amount available, only two very modest prizes could be provided, so that the following rules were adopted : 1. A first and a second prize cup will be awarded, respectively, to the holder of the highest and the second highest average of the six scorings during the year. 2. A certificate of merit will be awarded to each contestant whose six scorings average 92. 3. The prizes in each case are to become the permanent possession of the winner. METHOD BLANK. In order to make valuable criticisms, it is necessary for the critic to have before him, not only the score given by the judges with their remarks, but also an outline of the method followed in making each piece of butter. To provide this information, we requested that each entry be accompanied by the answers to the following questions, in so far as they could be supplied. Only such facts are called for as seem pertinent to the subject and it would seem that any creamery should be so equipped that the buttermaker could answer them all. However, some are not and we found cases where the buttermaker failed to report acidity and other tests through mere negligence to do so. However, the method blank served a useful purpose and we hope has been the means of stimulating interest in a systematic way of keeping records. Sending an entry without a method blank robs the criticism of three-fourths of its value. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. EDUCATIONAL BUTTER SCORING CONTEST. METHOD BLANK. Fill in and return to Dairy Industry, University Farm, Davis, Calif, Name of Creamery : __. Creamery at Manager Buttermaker Milk or cream received when Date churned What portion gathered cream What portion milk Condition of milk or cream Age Per cent, of fat Pounds of fat Pasteurized at what temperature Cooled to what temperature Per cent, of starter added Eipened to what per cent, acidity Cooled to what temperature Time held before churning Buttermilk temperature Test ----- Wash water temperature Size of butter granules - Butter churned, pounds Overrun, lbs. Per cent Butter color, brand Amount Salt, brand Amount Starter culture, brand — Washing powder, brand.. -— Milk heater, make Separator, make — Pasteurizer, make Eipening vat, make Churn, make DIRECTIONS FOR SHIPPING. Answer the questions on this method blank carefully. Your answer will help us in criticising your butter. Pack butter in 20-lb. collapsible cube or in a cube made from clean. light lumber. The latter should be 9" x 9" x 6" inside dimensions, and is conveniently constructed from material used in the unreturnable butter cases. Line package with parchment paper after paraffining. When shipping, place this cube inside a larger one, giving l"-2" space on all sides. The space between should be packed solidly with paper. Cool cube of butter several hours before its final packing. Never ship directly from churn. Attach enclosed shipping tag to your package. .Prepay express. The following score card was used : SCORE CARD. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. DAIRY INDUSTRY. Name No. BUTTER SCORE CARD. Date. Perfect Score CHECK FLAVOR Rancid - Over-ripe Cream 45 Bitter Cream 25 BODY Worked Too Much Worked Not Enough COLOR Too High Too Light 15 Mottled Streaked 10 SALT Too Much Not Enough PACKING Poor Packing 5 Poor Package 100 Total % Water Scored by METHOD OF JUDGING. As soon as the entries arrived at the University Farm Creamery, they were assigned a serial number which was recorded, then stripped of all identifying marks and placed in cold storage. A day or so later when placed before the judges, there was nothing to suggest to them the origin of a single entry. In addition to this, the judges worked independently of each other. The scoring was under the direction of Mr. C. L. Mitchell, a representative of the Dairy Division of the United States Department of Agriculture, who employed the standards and methods recommended by that Division. First Entry One swallow does not make a summer, neither does the data col- lected from one season's contests establish or disprove facts in butter- making. It is hoped, however, that the data presented in the following pages do have value at least in indicating the methods that California buttermakers are employing and why certain individuals are uniformly more successful than others. The data obtained from the method blank accompanying each entry have been arranged in a simple, self- explanatory fashion in the following tables. The score and per cent, of moisture are our own determinations. The other facts are given as reported. In each case, the per cent, of overrun has been computed from the reported pounds of cream, its per cent, of fat and the pounds of butter made from it. Without stopping to call attention in detail to each table, our purpose, which is to start the buttermaker thinking along right lines, will be served if he will take up each entry separately and trace out the relationship existing between the score, the condition of the cream, its acidity, age, etc., and the way it was handled; i.e., whether it was pasteurized or not, and the amount of starter used. First Entry — February 25, 1909. Creamery. a m 24 1 16 23 12 9 14 18 15 10 4 19 13 17 5 Gridley Creamery Edenco Creamery Colusa Butter Co Crystal Cream & Butter Co. Denman Creamery Homestead Creamery Co San Pasqual Creamery Hicks Valley Creamery Pozzi Creamery Suisun Creamery Tomales Creamery Sutter County Creamery Good Luck Creamery Bay View Creamery Rose City Creamery Smith's Creamery 94 93% 93 y 2 93 % 93 92 3/ 4 92% 92 92 92 91% 91 91 90% 90 y 2 90 88y 2 88y 2 88% 88% 86% 13.7 13.2 13.2 13.5 14.2 11.6 14.2 14.5 15.2 13.2 14.3 15 10 10 20 10 frp* 36. 36.5 30. 32. 32.5 31. 40. 37.5 33. 31.5 30. 35. 30. 31. 26.5 29. 31. 35. 29. 38. 1% 2-4 3 1-5 1-5 1% 4-5 1-3 1-3 6 3-4 1-2 1-2 1-3 1-2 O Old Sour Faii- Sour Sweet Good Good Old Fail- Good Fail- Fair Fail- Good Sour Good Fail- Fair .24 .48 .50 .58 .56 .56 .56 & be * a 12 4 14 18-24 1% 8 16 18-24 21 25 19 15 20 21 29 20 16 Average. 90.97 13.7 2% 12 20 The butter in the first entry that scored highest was made as follows : Gathered cream which was slightly old, and tested 36% fat, was churned the day after it was received. Fifteen per cent, of starter was added, then it was ripened and cooled to 52°. Churning was continued until the granules reached the size of hazelnuts. The buttermilk temperature was 53° and the wash water 60°. The cream was not pasteurized. Standard commercial culture and color were used. The cream was ripened in an open vat. The butter in the first entry that scored lowest was made as follows : A fair grade of 38% gathered cream was churned the day after it was received. Its age was from 2-4 days. Only 4% of starter was used in this cream which was ripened to .6% acidity, cooled to 56°, and held 12 hours. Churning was continued until the granules reached the size of wheat kernels. The buttermilk temperature was 57° and the wash water 56°. The cream was not pasteurized but ripened in a modern ripener. A standard commercial culture was used but no artificial color. Note the difference between these two in score, age of cream, and per cent, of starter used. Acidity in the latter was too high for such old cream. Second Entry — April 23, 1909. Creamery. Gridley Creamery Western Yolo Creamery San Pasqual Creamery Bay View Creamery Ceres Creamery Pozzi Creamery Edenco Creamery Colusa Butter Co Suisun Creamery Pozzi Creamery Rose City Creamery Silva's Creamery Laton Co-op. Creamery Homestead Creamery United Creameries Crystal Cream & Butter Co. Denman Creamery Elite Creamery Antelope Creamery CD f* O 96 14.5 95 14. 94% 14. 94 V 2 13. 94 % 13. 94 15.5 94 14. 94 15. 93% 15. 93 13.6 93 12.2 92% 13. 92 13. 92 15.5 92 13. 91% 14. 91% 13. 90% 12.5 90 11.5 89% 15. 89 12. 89 13.5 88% 14.5 3f* O ft? < C ft XM- Average. 13.6 2-3 Sour 5 35. 24 40. %-2 Fair .55 . 4 30. 5-7 Fair 24 2 1-2 Sour 12 24 10 36.5 3 .43 18 12 32. 2 Fair .4 12 18% ... 39.4 1% Fair .58 5 32. 3-5 Faii- 12 12 29. 3 Sweet .5 12 40. 2 Good 48 15 37. %-l% Sweet 2% 20 1 Good 24 32. 1-2 Faii- 12 33.5 3 Good 18 20 39. 1 Sweet 25 2% . 5 5 14 12 25.5 2 Faii- .56 14 14 32. 2 Good .4 12 28. 2 12 10 40.5 3-4 Pair .6 20 14 34.2 2% .50 15% 4> U c > fcC 20 18 20 17 19 8 The butter in the second entry that scored highest was made as follows : The cream which was partly sour was churned the day after it was received. No starter is reported, though it was probably used. How- ever, the cream was cooled to 51°, held only 5 hours, and churned until the granules were the size of B.B. shot. The buttermilk temperature was 56° and the wash water 57°. A standard culture is reported but no artificial color. The butter in the second entry that scored lowest was made as follows : A fair grade of 40|% cream was churned the day after it was received. It was then three or four days old. Ten per cent, of starter was used, and the cream ripened to .6% acidity and cooled to 59°, and held 20 hours before churning. Churning was continued until the granules reached the size of a kernel of corn. The buttermilk was 60° and the wash water 58°. A standard culture was used but no artificial color. Note the difference in time held before churning. Nothing is gained by holding sour cream. Add the starter and churn promptly. Too much acidity was allowed to develop in the cream of the low scoring entry. Third Entry— June 11, 1909. The butter in the third entry that scored highest was made as follows : A fair grade of gathered cream testing 32% was churned the day after it was received and was only one day old. Ten per cent, of starter was added; the cream was ripened to .5% acidity, cooled to 50° and churned immediately. The buttermilk temperature was 56° and the wash water 58°. Standard culture and artificial color were used. No pasteurization was employed. The butter in the third entry that scored lowest was made as follows : A cream testing 36% was obtained from sweet milk and churned the day following. Twelve per cent, of starter was added; the cream was ripened to .36% acidity, cooled to 54° and churned four hours later. The buttermilk and wash water were 58°. Standard culture and color were used. The cream was not pasteurized. The highest scoring butter in this entry was made in accordance with approved practices. Note the temperatures used and the prompt churning. The butter scoring lowest seemed to have conditions in its favor, though it was a small churning. It evidently shows the disastrous effects of uncleanly practices and poor starter upon good cream. Creamery, Colusa Butter Co Castroville Creamery Co Gridley Creamery Pioneer Creamery Pozzi Creamery "Western Yolo Creamery San Pasqual Creamery Homestead Creamery Elite Creamery Edenco Creamery Tulare Co-op. Creamery Orland Creamery Crystal Cream & Butter Co. Hicks Valley Creamery Salinas Creamery Co Rose City Creamery Ceres Creamery Suisun Creamery Co Laton Co-op. Creamery... United Creameries Average. 03 O m 03 03 03 OS Oj . 2 03 +- SI a 03 95 12.5 10 94% 13.5 8 94 13. 16 93V 2 15. 20 150° 93% 12. 93 % 14.3 93 14. 93 14.5 12 92% 12. 20 92 3,4 12. 12 92 13. 92 11. 92 14.5 91% 13. 12 9iy 2 13. 10 91% 15.3 . 50 91% 13.5 10 91% 13.5 20 91% 12.5 15 90% 13. 89% 11.5 89% 12. 89 16.5 25 89 13. 88 13. 12 87 11. 12 32. 35. 32. 40. 34. 35. 40. 28. 29. 38. 23. 3 7. 30. 35. 42.3 36. 1 1-2 % 2% %-2 % 3 1-2 1 2 1 1-2 %-l% 1-2 O Fair Good Bitter Good Good Fair Faii- Sweet Sweet Good Fair Fail- Good Good Fair .5 .53 .65 .61 .56 .54 .43 .6 .55 Good Good 91.67 13.2 33.1 1% .55 - r Z. 9<h3 — i" u \ - - 24 22 6 14 20 18 18 20 6 21 2 22 Good 24 2-3 15 1-3 Fair .61 12 1 Sweet .36 4 12% Fourth Entry — August 17, 1909. The butter in the fourth entry that scored highest was made as follows : A 32% cream was obtained from sweet milk delivered daily, and pasteurized at 160°. Twenty per cent, of starter was added, the cream ripened to .6% acidity, cooled to 49° and held 14 hours before churn- ing. The butter was churned to a coarse granular condition and thoroughly washed. The buttermilk temperature was 57° and the wash water 60°. Standard culture and a modern vat were used, but no color. The butter in the fourth entry that scored lowest was made as follows : The cream was 4-6 days old, testing 40-J% butter-fat. Only 7 per cent, of starter was used; the acidity reached .61%; the cream was then cooled to 50° and held 12 hours before churning. The butter 21 is 10 24 19 20 2 19 10 was churned to fine granules, the buttermilk temperature being 59° and the wash water 58°. Standard color and culture were used as well as a modern ripening vat. In comparing the above, notice the difference in the amount of starter used in either case, and the age of the cream. In the former there was less need for prompt churning after ripening than in the latter, where the cream had never been under control, as it arrived in bad condition. As shown later under "Cream Ripening," .6% acidity is not too high for 32% cream obtained from sweet milk. What we warn against is the tendency to further ripen cream that is already quite sour and unclean. Creamery. Pioneer Creamery Rose City Creamery Tulare Co-op. Creamery Suisun Creamery Hicks Valley Creamery Laton Co-op. Creamery- Golden Creamery Gridley Creamery... Salinas Creamery Co Castroville Creamery Ceres Creamery Crystal Cream & Butter Co. Western Yolo Creamery Pozzi Creamery Homestead Creamery San Pasqual Creamery 95 941/2 941/4 94 94 931/2 931/2 93 93 93 92 1/2 921/2 92 9iy 2 91 91 89 88% 88 13.5 12.7 13.2 13.9 13. 12. 12.5 12.5 14.5 13.2 12. 12. 13. 13. 13. 12.4 13.2 11.1 12.3 10 25 25 10 15 10 10 40 20 10 o . e S P.J5 160° 180< 32. 176° 30. 41.7 31. 31. 33. 38. 30. 30. 30. 37.8 31. 40. 33. 40.5 1/2 Good 1/2-2 1/2 -1% 1-3 1 2 2-4 1 1-2 1-4 1-2% 1 1 1-3 4-6 Fair Faii- Fair Good Faii- Bitter Good Good Good Fair Faii- Sweet Good Good Fail- Old Average 92.31 12.8 33.9 iy 2 57 61 t-RC 3 o a £*£ 14 18 3 24 12 2 1 24 14 14 20 iy 2 8 8 24 12 c a 20 22 18 20 20 22 20 2 20 57 121/2 2 Fifth Entry — October 1, 1909. The butter in the fifth entry that scored highest was made as follows : A fair grade of gathered sweet cream containing 36% of butter-fat was churned when one day old. A twenty per cent, starter was added ; the cream was held at 60° for 4 hours, cooled to 50° and churned immediately to fine granules and well washed. The temperature of the buttermilk was 54° and of the wash water 56°. A modern ripening 11 vat and standard color and culture were used, but the cream was not pasteurized. The cream was practically sweet. The butter in the fifth entry that scored lowest was made as follows : One-third sour cream and two-thirds sweet cream testing 30% fat were mixed for this churning. Twelve per cent, of starter was added ; the cream was then ripened, cooled to 60° and held 1^ hours before churning. The cream was churned until butter granules the size of wheat kernels appeared. The buttermilk temperature was 61° and the wash water 62°. Standard color and culture were used and an open ripening vat. The mixing of sweet and sour cream, the use of a starter of question- able purity, and the ripening of the cream in a common vat evidently played havoc with quality in the lowest scoring entry. The practices in- dicated in making the highest scoring entry are worth following. Butter for the contest should be representative of the whole amount of cream received. Mixing sweet cream with cream having a clean acid flavor, in order to secure enough for a churning, is not necessarily objection- able providing the mixture is evenly ripened before churning. Where the quantity of each will justify, cream should be graded and the lots churned separately. Creamery Golden Creamery San Pasqual Creamery Salinas Creamery Co United Creameries Hicks Valley Creamery Laton Co-op. Creamery Crystal Cream & Butter Co. Gridley Creamery Rose City Creamery Ceres Creamery Pioneer Creamery Suisun Creamery Woodland Creamery QQ 96 94 93 92 92 92 9iy 2 91% 91 90% 90% 90 90 89% 89 88 £ w s £> 14.4 20 13.5 20 14.1 20 13.4 11.9 40 12. 12.1 12.9 13.5 20 13.4 10 14.7 20 13.6 28 12.9 13.7 10 13.3 10 12.5 12 160 ( 36. 42. 37. 30. 30.5 28. 34. 40. 33. 38. 30. 30. CREAM. G c T3 G o Q 'E < g W <c . £•& u — §«2g 1 Fail- %-l% Good .6 8 2-3 Good Good 1 1-5 Good 20 1-4 Faii- 16 1-3 Sour .5 12 1-2 Faii- 14 % Good .6 14 %-l% Fail- .57 8 %-l% Fair 10 1-3 Faii- 24 1 Good .7 2 %-2 Sweet 1% 20 20 23 20 20 Average. 91.26 13J 19.1 33.7 1% M 12 Sixth Entry — November 22, 1909. H 1 12 6 16 18 11 7 15 10 19 13 14 17 Creamery. Pioneer Creamery Castroville Creamery Golden Creamery Meridian Creamery San Pasqual Creamery Suisun Creamery Fresno Cream Co Ceres Creamery United Creameries Salinas Creamery Rose City Creamery Hicks Valley Creamery Crystal Cream & Butter Co. Laton Co-op. Creamery m ^ 96 15.2 95 y 2 11.7 95 13.6 94% 13.2 94 % 13. 94% 13.1 93 y 2 13.7 93% 14.8 93% 14.2 93 13.2 92% 14. 92 14. 91 13.5 90% 10.7 89 14.8 86% 11.3 86 12.2 86 12.4 2% CCT" a* S « EhP-i Average. 92.05 13.3 25 160° 37. 16 38. 20 37. 15 29. 20 43. 25 34. 12 34. 10 20 40. 20 34. 17 25. 10 25 31. 16 31. 40 170° 22. 29. 5 176° 35. 18.5 33.3 <!t3 % 1-2 1 O Good Good Good Fair ~ 91 Z 7 .-: .60 53 - ■ 14 •J 4 10 %-l% Fail- . 5 6 4 1-5 .54 6 1 Good Good 20 1-3 Good 3 2-5 Sweet .5 9 1-4 Faii- .6 12 1 Fair . 5 5 14 Good .8 3-8 24 1 Good 2 11% The butter in the sixth entry that scored highest was made as follows : A 37% cream was obtained from a good grade of whole milk and pasteurized at 160° when 12 hours old, and then cooled to 74°. Twenty-five per cent, of starter was added; acidity developed to .6% ; cooled to 50°, and held 14 hours before churning. The buttermilk had a temperature of 56° and the w 7 ash w T ater 60°. Churning continued until the butter appeared in fine granules, when it w r as thoroughly washed. Standard color and culture, and a modern ripening vat, were used. The butter in the sixth entry that scored lowest was made as follows : A good grade of gathered cream containing 35.2% fat. and of questionable age, w r as pasteurized at 176° and cooled to 48°. Later it was warmed to 66° and 5 per cent, of starter added, and allowed to ripen until the following morning when it w 7 as cooled to 55° and churned. Butter came in twenty minutes. The temperature of the buttermilk was 56° and the wash water 58°. Standard color and culture were used, as well as a modern ripening vat. Cheap soaps and sal soda were used for washing the cans and the churns. Butter was rated (fishy to oily). The noticeable thing in contrasting these two entries is that starters and pasteurization may be abused. Probably neither was responsible 20 22 19 20 18 15 22 23 13 for the defects found in the low scoring entry. The result is an objecl lesson. Never use soaps. Purify the churn with lime. POINTS > CUT. Total Cuts Each Entry. Total for 1 2 3 4 5 6 the Year. Flavor 191% 165% 206 138% 133 130% 965% Body 8% 5 6y 2 4% 4V 2 5% 34% Color 5 1% i 2 1% 5 16 Salt 1% 1 i % % l J /2 6% Package 1 2% 3 y 2 7% SUMMARY OF SCORE AND CUTS FOR THE SIX < CONTESTS. Possible Total Points Per cent. Score. Cut. cut. Flavor 45 5625 965% 17.2 Body 25 3125 34% 1.1 Color 15 1875 16 0.9 Salt 10 1250 6% 0.5 Package 5 625 7^4 1.2 TABLE SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF CUTS FOR TEN BUTTERMAKERS DURING THE SIX CONTESTS. No. 1. No. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. ENTRIES ENTRIES. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 F 6 6 5 6 4 5 F 7i 61 81 6 9 5 B 1 B 1 1 C i 2 No. 6. C s S 1 2 p P F 6 4 6 61 8 5i F 7 6 7 51 8 7 B 1 B 2 1 u 1 1 C i 2 No. 7. C i 2 s s p p F 71 5 7 7 6 5| F ioi 10 J 8 52 11 ID B 1 B 1 C T 1 No. 8. C s S p P F 6J 8 7 7 81 8 F 10 J 71 8 61 - 8 B 1 B 1 i 2 C No. 9. C 1 s 1 S 1 p 1 P X 2 F 7 8 6 7 12 F 10 51 8i 71 9 61 B 2 1 B l 1 C 1 1 No. 10. C s t I i 2 S p P i 1 14 AVERAGE DATA FOR EACH OF THE SIX CONTESTS. Contests. 12 3 4 5 6 Score 90.97 92.34 91.67 92.31 91.26 92.05 Percent, Water 13.7 13.6 13.2 12.8 13.2 13.3 Per cent. Starter 8. 14. 16. 16. 19.1 18.5 Number using Starter 12 12 16 13 11 16 Number Pasteurizing 13 2 3 Cream, per cent Fat 32.7 34.2 33.1 33.9 33.7 33.3 Cream, Age-days 2% 2% l 1 ^ iy, iy 2 2 Cream, % Acidity ripened.. .52 .50 .55 .57 .59 .56 Hours held 12 15% 12y 2 12% 11 liy 2 Per cent. Overrun 20 20 19 20 *20 20 Note the gradual increase in the amount of starter used as the contest progressed. There is also shown an increase in the number of buttermakers interested in starters and pasteurization. Educational Butter Scoring Contest, 1909. scores — prizes — certificates. 1st 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th Ave. Buttermaker Creamery. Order. Entry. Entry. Entry. Entry. Entry. Entry. Score. Received. Colusa Butter Co., Colusa 1 93 % 94 95 1st Prize & Golden Creamery, Etna Mills 93% 96 95 94.5 Certificate. Gridley Creamery, Gridley 2 94 96 94 93 91% 94% 93.8 2d Prize & Certificate. San Pasqual Creamery, Escon- dido 3 92% 94% 93 91 94 94% 93.2 Certificate. Suisun Creamery, Suisun 4 92 93 % 91% 94 90 94 % 92.5 Certificate. Rose City Creamery, Chico 5 90% 93 91% 94% 91 92% 92.1 Certificate. Crystal Cream & Butter Co., Sacramento 6 93% 91% 92 92% 91% 91 92.0 Certificate. The above table shows the creameries at which the butter was made in the first year's contest, that won for the buttermakers either prizes or certificates. In connection with reporting the results of this first year 's contest, we are tempted to make some rather complete suggestions on the care and handling of milk and cream under California conditions which, if applied seriously, would greatly improve the quality of our butter. However, as this material will appear in another circular, only the briefest sort of an outline of a few important things to be borne in mind is here appended. It is to the ambitious buttermaker, who is unrestrained by commercial greed, that we look for much of the educa- tional uplift we need in dairy and creamery work. The results of the contest here reported we hope will encourage all California creamery 15 men to renewed efforts as the secret of making good butter may, after all, be reduced to a few simple principles. It is to sustain interest in these essential things and to help the buttermaker in impressing them upon his patrons and others with whom he necessarily comes in contact that the following is offered : Prize Cups. FACTORS CONCERNED IN IMPROVING THE SUPPLY OF CREAM AND BUTTER. CARE ON THE FARM. 1. ment 2. 3. 4. Sound cows; wholesome and regular food supply; kind treat- Clean, well-lighted stables ; firm, dry yards and surroundings. Removal of accumulated manure daily. Soiled cows must be washed before milking. Milkers should wash hands frequently, wear clean clothing and milk with dry hands. 5. Utensils for milk or cream must be simple in construction, easily cleaned, and kept in a sanitary place. A suitable place for washing and scalding all utensils is absolutely essential. 16 6. A clean, well-lighted and ventilated milk house must be provided (preferably) outside the barn, where the milk may be handled and the cream kept cool until delivery. 7. The separator must be thoroughly washed and scalded each time it is used. 8. The separator should be run carefully at the prescribed speed at all times, to avoid loss. 9. A rich cream, about 35% butter-fat, gives best results. 10. Cream must be cooled immediately after it is separated. DELIVERY OF CREAM OR MILK. 1. Deliveries should be frequent : Milk daily; cream daily, if possible. 2. Holding cream three or four days, where conditions are in- adequate for proper cooling and storage, renders it unfit for making good butter. . 3. In hot weather, cream to be hauled long distances should always be protected from the sun, and the cans should each be provided with burlap or felt covers to keep out the heat. 4. When shipping by rail, the cream should be kept in the shade at transfer points. 5. No shipper, distributor, retailer, or manufacturer, should be per- mitted to return unclean or unsanitary cans to his patrons. Such a practice should be considered a misdemeanor, and dealt with accord- ingly. CARE AT THE CREAMERY. 1. Cream grading is essential. Pay for cream on the basis of its butter-fat content and its sanitary condition. 2. Don't accept bad cream. Let your unwise competitor have it. 3. Learn to make good starters and how to properly apply them. 4. Learn the use and value of the acid test. 5. Study the principles and practice of pasteurization. 6. Exercise a reasonable control over churning conditions so that the resulting butter will be of an approved, uniform composition. 7. The buttermaker must keep himself and the creamery clean in every particular. 17 GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. CREAM GRADING. If the foregoing figures show anything, they indicate that butter of good quality cannot be made from cream produced or subsequently handled in an unsanitary manner. If the natural, rich, sweet flavor of cream has in any way been lost by the contamination of the milk or cream, or by neglect in handling, the butter suffers thereby. Inferior cream can never be worth as much for butter-making as first-class cream, except where the butter may be consumed by persons with uneducated or perverted appetites. In the average creamery, the poor cream received pulls down, unjustly, the quality which the careful patrons are trying so hard to sustain. If the reader will take the time to go through the data here submitted, he will find numerous cases where the conscientious buttermaker has employed all the means at his command to make a respectable grade of butter from cream that was abused before it reached his platform — and he has failed. Such butter uniformly scores low. What an argument this is for rational grading and payment on the quality as well as the butter- fat basis ! Milk and cream for direct consumption are in effect graded before they are sold. The same is true of butter, cheese, and numerous other food products : the consumer refusing to pay good money for poor products if he knows it. Why should not the same logic hold for cream used in butter-making? If the producer of clean milk is entitled to a premium over his dirty competitor, the patron who delivers a clean, wholesome grade of cream is entitled to a better price than his careless associate. Paying a uniform price for all grades of cream, as is the general practice in California creameries, is an ingenious device for the per- petuation of bad methods, bad cream, and bad butter. The good cream will come when there is a difference in price to attract it. The most unpromising feature of the quality situation is an over-zealousness on the part of creameries to obtain any and all kinds of cream. STARTERS. As the contest progressed, the beneficial results of an aroused interest in starters became apparent, Not all starters are good, and such as are not often do serious harm. By the careful propagation and use of a standard commercial culture in clean skim milk with proper attention to cleanliness and temperatures, the quality of the butter is invariably improved. Frequent reinoculation into fresh pasteurized 18 skim milk is essential to the vitality, purity, and effectiveness of the starter. While in ripening fairly sweet cream for churning it may be desirable to add the starter several hours before churning time, to insure sufficient production of acid and flavor, this seems not to be desirable with cream already too sour for churning. In such cases, the opportunity for the starter to effect improvement is greatly reduced, though it may still do considerable to enhance the flavor. With the poorer grades of hand separator cream, the sooner they can be churned after being brought to the proper temperature the better. For this reason, starter is often added to the churn in as liberal amounts as the cream will stand and churning proceeded with immediately. Where a chance for ripening is permitted, it is seldom more than two or three hours. It seems that some of our most successful buttermakers plan to receive and ripen their cream, churn and mould their butter, all in the same day. It is evident that a number of contestants allowed their cream, which was poor when received, to ripen too much before churning. There seems to be no very satisfactory substitute for skim milk as a medium in which to propagate a starter. Many of our buttermakers complain of difficulty in obtaining enough skim milk for this purpose. It is true that the addition of a twenty-five per cent, starter in our large creameries means considerable skim milk, but it is worth the effort to go to some trouble in getting it. CREAM RIPENING. The acid test and a knowledge of its application are essential to systematic work in the creamery. Most creameries have modern ripeners and one or two forms of acid tests. They should be used in conjunction with each other to the end that the acidity be kept in control. To be of equal ripeness, rich cream should show less acidity than thin cream. Some of the contestants were careless about making acidity tests, while still others made no tests at all. The acid test is a guide to ripeness and should be followed closely. Don't insist on ripening cream that is already too ripe. The following serves as a useful guide to the amount of acid that may be safely developed in creams of different richness : Per cent. Fat. Per cent. Acid. 20 .72 30 .63 40 .54 50 .45 In commercial starter, .70 to .80 19 PASTEURIZATION. The* interest in this phase of buttermaking is growing faster than our data would seem to indicate. With the present tendencies in cream production, the practice is almost compulsory, and, where properly carried on, has given positively beneficial results. It would seem that the time is near at hand when every creamery will pasteurize its cream for buttermaking. However, pasteurization evidently serves no end as far as its effect upon quality is concerned, which could not be attained by better methods of producing and handling the cream. The temperature employed varies from 140° F.-180 F. continuous flow, followed by rapid cooling. It has been found disastrous to cool immediately to as low as 40° F. By cooling first to 70°, certain defects and faults, otherwise produced, are obviated. A starter should always be used in cream which has been pasteurized, to control the flavor. Its omission will produce bad results, as the heating partially clears the field for the effective work of starter. COMPOSITION OF BUTTER. This varies according to certain recognized conditions. While the creamery operator is entitled to a liberal yield, he must keep within prescribed limits of composition. The placing of 16% as the maxi- mum water content of butter permissible under the present law, has called attention in recent years to the control of w T ater in butter and its effect upon the composition, keeping quality, and flavor of the same. A recent, carefully prepared Experiment Station bulletin* sums up some of these factors in a broad, general way, as follows : 1. It is possible to make butter from day to day of uniform and desired composition. 2. There was no variation in water content between half worked and worked butter, or after the third revolution of the churn until working was completed. 3. There was no difference in composition of samples taken from the middle or either end of the churn. 4. The per cent, of water in butter is affected by the make of churn. 5. There was no difference in composition of butter made from cream held 1-3 hours and that held 12-15 hours at churning tempera- ture. * Illinois Agr. Exp. Station Bulletin 137. 20 6. Butter of the same composition can be made from either pas- teurized or unpasteurized cream. 7. Dry and wet salting methods are identical as far as composition is concerned. 8. Churning butter washed with water, differing ten degrees in temperature, produced butter with an average difference in water content in forty comparisons of 1.99 ^ . 9. In terms of averages, samples taken from the butter in the churn will contain nearly one per cent, more moisture than samples taken from the butter in the tubs. The same decrease is true of samples taken from tubs of butter before and after storage. 10. There is a variation in the water content ranging from 0.1 to 1.0% between different samples representing the same butter. Each buttermaker must determine the details of practice that best suit his local conditions, and with those under control he should have little trouble in producing butter of uniform composition. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The Dairy Division of the United States Department of Agricul- ture has assisted us greatly in the Scoring Contest by permitting its representative to engage in scoring the entries. The contributions of various supply men, commission merchants, and others to the premium fund has materially strengthened interest in the contest. EDUCATIONAL SCOEING CONTEST, 1910. During 1910, the contest will be continued along lines as above indicated. Probably more prizes will be offered than in 1909. All California buttermakers are invited to participate. Address com- munications concerning the contest to Dairy Industry, University Farm, Davis, California.