Good butter, well made and well worked, should contain somewhere about 88 per cent, of pure butter fat, and the highest class of butters will contain rather more than this. To get the butter fat, however, in a state of purity, the butter must be melted with the water, soluble matters and curd separated; the clear limpid oil of beautiful amber-colour floats on the top. This, when poured off and allowed to chill, forms pure butter fat.
Fat in some form or other is an absolute essential to the dietary. If children are brought up without the use of butter, or a butter substitute, they rapidly lose health and condition, and even in many savage races, we find that the fat of animals is consumed in large quantities, taking the place of the butter of more civilised countries. Following out this argument, I see no reason why, with proper precautions in its manufacture, butterine should not be used to a considerable extent, to replace the deficiency of butter from which we at the present time suffer. Butterine, when properly made, is nothing but the best and purest dripping, flavoured with milk, so as to make it resemble butter as much as possible.
Yet, despite the value of the fat, skim milk, from which the fat has been removed, is a valuable diet, and when properly used, under medical advice, there is no doubt that in many cases of illness it would be more serviceable than even new milk. Unfortunately, however, the ease with which the fat can be removed, offers a considerable temptation to skimming.
The next constituent of milk that we have to notice is Caseine. This is the flesh-forming constituent of milk, and is called curd. It is classed as one of the most valuable constituents, and is a highly nitrogenous matter. Indeed, with the exception of a small amount of albumen and Lacto Protein, all the nitrogen of milk exists in the form of caseine. Caseine forms the basis of our cheeses of every kind, except the real cream cheese. It will therefore scarcely surprise you to hear that it is highly nutritious. We all know how hardworking men live, to a very great
