36 THIRTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



way, sometimes it was nescessary to start the joints ; conse- 

 quently we adopted a little modification of the cubical pack- 

 age, tapering- the sides slightly so the box was almost a cube 

 but the bottom of the box was a half-inch narrower than the 

 top, an inverted or truncated pyramid. This was lined with 

 parchment. This we have been calling- the "Wisconsin box" 

 because, in connection with a manufacturing concern in Wis- 

 consin, we gradually worked it out and made a package which 

 satisfied our customers in Great Britain. This package is 12 ^2 

 inches across the top, 11^ inches across the bottom and very 

 nearly 12 inches deep, so that it holds just about a cubic foot 

 of butter, weighing between 56 and 57 pounds. The Eng- 

 lish market holds to the old hundred weight as the basis of 

 weight 112 pounds in the hundred-weight — and their butter is 

 sold by the hundred weight. They want a package that con- 

 tains either a half or a quarter of 112 pounds, hence the 28 

 pound or a quarter packages, or 56 pounds, or the half hun- 

 dred-weight packages are the ones in favor in the British 

 markets. I found that the safest plan was to start the pack- 

 age from this side containing butter weighing almost if not 

 quite" 57 pounds, and then I would probably only get credited 

 for 56 pounds sold over there. If I tried to be smart and sharp 

 and reduce my package to 56>2 pounds on this side then it 

 was two pounds short, they only paid for 55 pounds. We do 

 not ordinarily divide the pound in wholesale business, but 

 take the nearest whole pound below the actual weight. I 

 instruct those packing butter for me to put in from 12 to 16 

 ounces over the 56 pounds, hence the shrinkage is such that I 

 have a margin of a few ounces over the 56 pounds. This is 

 rather a long explanatory answer to the question asked. The 

 favorite package is a modified cube containing rather more 

 than 56 pounds of butter when it starts. 



Mr. Wallace. Is pasteurization desirable? T^ ^TJ. 

 Maj. Alvord. I did not refer to pasteurization when speak- 

 ing. I intended to be understood as saying that nothing but 

 absolute cleanliness and cold are needed for preservatives. 

 Perhaps pasteurizing might help for milk which needed it; 

 this milk did not need pasteurizing. That would only be of 

 particular advantage if the milk was poor stock with germs 

 which would be likely to cause it to spoil within a short time. 

 Pasteurizing or extreme heating I do not ordinarily advise. 

 It is a way of covering up previous carelessness and is a pre- 

 mium, in my opinion, upon slovenly dairying. There is an- 

 other objection to pasteurizing or sterilizing milk. These are 

 only other terms for cooking milk and cooked milk is not as 

 digestable as raw milk. Pasteurizing, which means heating 

 to 150 or 160 degrees and sterilizing, coagulates the albumen 



