DAIRY INDUSTRY.
The composition of butter varies. It ranges from 78.:: per cent to 88.41 per cent of milk fat; 7.22 per cent to 15.62 per cent of water; 1.03 per cent to 3.32 per cent of casein, and 1.34 per cent to 4.16 per cent of salt. The best butter has a content of 85 to 86 per cent of milk fat and from 13 to 14 per cent of water. The quality of butter is judged by its flavor, texture, color, amount of salt and general ap pearance. Flavor counts about 45 per cent of the points, and varies with the market. Some markets require a mild, delicate butter; for the supply of such the cream is often pasteurized: others require a high flavor, almost verging on rancidity. Whatever is desired, that flavor should be pronounced, with an absence of ran cidity or other flavors. Texture carries 25 per cent of the points and depends upon the granu lar condition of the fats. The more distinctly the granules show up when the butter is broken the better the texture. The right color depends upon the market requirements; usually a bright golden yellow, as naturally yielded when cows are on grass, is considered ideal. It should be uniform. To ensure this, it is sometimes neces sary to use some butter-color: formerly the main one used was arnotto; now the coal-tar colors, aniline yellow and butter yellow are used. The vegetable coloring matter is usually dissolved in some oil, and this often gives a peculiar flavor to the butter, so that the coal tar colors are preferred. Some South Ameri can countries require the butter to be a deep orange or red color. •A small quantity of salt is often added to improve the palatability; it has little influence on the keeping qualities. The amount varies with trade requirements. Un salted or slightly salted butter is largely used in Europe and the United Kingdom. The finish and packing of the butter should be attractive and neat. The styles are numerous, but at tempts are being made to standardize' them. The American butter-tub is generally used here. It holds from 50 to 70 pounds. In Canada and Australia a box holding 56 pounds is used for the export trade. The Danes ship their butter in firkins containing 112 pounds. For local trade the standard rectangle pound print is 434X21/2X24 inches. These are wrapped in parchment paper and packed in specially made boxes.
Oleomargarine is the most common adul terant, and its detection, especially when pres ent in only small amounts, is difficult. Cotton seed and other oils have been used. Glycogen has been added to increase the water-holding capacity of the butter, and in butters for South America glucose has been added as a preserva tive. The various preservatives, as borax, boracic acid, etc., sold under their own and other names, are now prohibited as adulterants.
Renovated or process butter is generally low-grade butter which has been melted and put through a chemical process to remove the disagreeable odors and taste; sometimes it is then mixed with soured separated or whole milk or cream and churned until granulated. If the primary article is not too inferior, the resulting product can be sold as good creamery butter; generally its keeping qualities are im paired. In some States and in the United King
dom all butter so treated must be distinctly branded During the year 1850 the amount of butter made on farms in the United States was 313,345,306 pounds. As reported by the United States census of manufactures for 1914 the pro duction of butter in that year amounted to 786,013,489 pounds, valued at $223,179,254, as compared with 627,145,865 pounds, valued at $180,174,790, in 1909, representing an increase of 25.3 per cent in quantity and 23.9 per cent in value.
The farm production of butter (including that made for home consumption) is probably greater than the factory output, and a relatively small quantity of cheese is also manufactured on farms. Statistics in regard to the farm output of these commodities, however, are collected only once in 10 years. At the census of 1909, 994, 650,610 pounds of butter were reported as made on farms. These amounts represented de creases in the decade of 7.2 per cent and 42.6 per cent, respectively, as compared with 1899. The value of that made on farms ranged in 1915 from 21 cents to 32 cents per pound, de pending on location more than upon quality. Creamery-made butter brought from 24 cents for ordinary to 38 cents for extra fancy. The lower prices were generally those of the sum mer months and the highest ones of midwinter. The cost of transporting the milk to factories is about 1.5 cents per pound of butter. Den mark is at present the leading butter-exporting country of the world, with a record of almost 165,000,000 pounds, valued at $37,000,000, the average price being the highest on the market. The butter exports of the United States in 1915 amounted to 9,850,704 pounds.
The coefficient of digestibility of butter-fat is 98 per cent or over. It is well assimilated, and, like other fats, is a source of heat and energy. Its value as a food and methods .of -usage are well known. Butter containing 82.4 per cent butter-f at has a fuel value. per pound of 3,475 calories, and in a number of dietary studies butter furnished 1.9 per cent of the total food, and 19.7 per cent of the total fat of the daily food. Further information is given in Professor Atwater's reports on dietary studies. Fresh and salt butter are equally valuable. Clarified butter is used in cooking. It is or dinary butter freed from water by heating.
Bibliography.— McKay, G. L., and Larsen, C., 'Principles and Practice of Butter-Making' (New York 1906) ; Meyer, M. H., 'Treatise on Commercial Starters in Butter and Cheese Making) (Little Falls, N. Y., 1910) • Michels, J., 'Market Dairying and Milk Products' Wis., 1913) and 'Creamery But ter-Making) (Farmingdale, N. Y. 1914) • Mon rad, J. H., 'The A B C of Butter-Making> (New York 1905) ; Wing, H. H., 'Milk and Its Products' (Ithaca, N. Y., 1913) ; United States Animal Industry Bureau, 'Circular Zoo) (Washington, D. C., 1912) • Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, 'Bulletins 131, 137, 138, 139' (Urbana 1909).