THE FARM.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 649, 7 March 1914, Page 6

THE FARM.

THE COMPOSITION AND USB OF BUTTER-MILK. Butter-milk contains chiefly the smaller globules of fat present in the milk which have not coalesced under the influence of the churning to form butter. r Its specific gravity is slightly higher than that of ordinary milk, owing to the smaller proportion of the lighter fat globules present in it. At an ordinary temperature its specific gravity varies from 1.032 to 1.035. The non-churnability of the fat present in milk when the globules are of very small size is the principle upon which rest the machines called homogenizers. These, by forcing the milk through a stra'iner of very minute mesh, reduce the fat globules to such small and regular size that no amount of subsequent shaking or churning leads to the production of butter.

The butter-milk ordinarily obtained is either more or less sour or quite fresh, according to the state of the cream which has been churned. But-ter-milk obtained from sweet cream appears very much like a rich, fatty milk or a very poor cream, and though at first sweet also, soon assumes the bitter or acid flavour which becomes very distinct if it is slightly warmed.

The addition of cold water during churning, which is a very frequent practice in some dairies, causes the production of a butter-milk, which since it thus contains a very large proportion of water, is very poor in fat. The average composition of buttermilk, without the addition of any breaking water, is given by Fleischmann as the following. The figures are, naturally, the average obtained from a large number of experiments : Water 91.24 per cent. Fat 0.56 ~ Protein (rasein) ... 3.5 ~ „ Lactose (milk sugar) 4.0 ~ ~ Ash (mineral matter) 0.7 ~ ~ The proportion of fat present in the butter-milk will vary according to the ripening of the cream, the consistency of the cream, its churnability, and the .temperature at which churning takes place. In special cases,, with skilled handling, 'it can be reduced to as low as 0.1 per cent. The remaining figures are found to suffer little variation, even under widely divergent conditions and circumstances. As a food it must be admitted that its value has been and is considerably under-rated. Seeing that it is, if unwatered. a n excellent, nourishing' and, health-giving article of diet, it is not consumed by the general public to anything like the degree which it deserves to be on its merits. Even iB town dairies, where it. is easily obtainable at Id. or IM. per quart retail, it is not largely purchased, except for some short period during the great heat of summer.

Yet in the houses of those who produce milk and can obtain it direct from their own churnings, or as received back direct from the creamery, it frequently is valued as it deserves to be, and its use, both as a drink and in the making of cakes, is widely spread. The butter-mils scones, so highly valued in some districts, owe their special attraction to the use of butter-milk in the making of them. It has been shown to have a desirable laxative effect upon the organs of digestion, and hence is of considerable medicinal value in cases of habitual constipation. Its .use in cases of typhoid fever has been shown to be beneficial, and as a remedy in cases of kidney trouble it fcas been found very valuable. Cases are not infrequent where a patient suffering from gastric ulcer or cancer of the stomach has been unable to retain any food except butter-milk. It is much to be regretted that the only use to which it. can be put in many places is to serve as food for cattle, more especially for pigs. For this purpose it is often mixed with the separated milk received back from the creamery. If the butter-m'ilk is excessively sour it should be boiled before being used, and should not be used in large quantities at once. It will be found that the swine thrive better on it if it is used in lesser quantities at one time, but on more frequent occasions.—'Mark Lane Express.'