PACKING BUTTER 365 



tical than any other package of butter of equal capacity. With 

 the possible exception of the firkin, which is not used in this 

 country, and of the tin can which is too expensive a package for 

 domestic use, the butter tub withstands better the abuse and 

 rough handling it is necessarily subjected to in its journey from 

 the creamery to the market, and arrives at its destination in 

 better condition than other butter receptacles. Unlike cubes 

 and boxes it has no nailed sides, ends, bottoms and tops to tear 

 loose, the butter in it does not become soiled, because the tub 

 is tight and dust-proof, which is often not the case with the 

 boxes used for bulk butter. 



The tub strips easily and quickly, the package does not have 

 to be destroyed in order to get the butter out. Its disadvan- 

 tages are that it does not pack quite as closely as square boxes, 

 requiring somewhat more space in transit and in storage, and 

 that tubbed butter does not cut as satisfactorily for putting up 

 prints as does cube butter. 



"Smaller size tubs are used upon special request, to fill spe- 

 cial orders and for special occasions, such as for scoring contest 

 butter, etc. Butter tubs are lined with parchment liners and 

 circles which protect the butter from woody odor, impurities, 

 and contamination with mold and prevent it from sticking to 

 the wood, so that the butter slips out of the inverted tub readily 

 when "stripped." 



Butter tubs should be constructed of the best quality of 

 sound wood, and they should be stored in a dry, clean place in 

 the creamery. They should be well put together, tight, and 

 free from cracked staves. Tubs made from lumber that was 

 felled while the sap was still running, or that has been lying- 

 in stagnant ponds, tend to give rise to woody odor and molds 

 in butter. Their wood is prone to give butter an objectionable 

 woody flavor. Often it is partly decayed and porous, in which 

 condition it may harbor mold spores which contaminate the 

 butter. Exposure of the tubs to dampness and to unclean sur- 

 roundings in the creamery is an additional source of moldy but- 

 ter. When stored in a damp room the tubs frequently become 

 spotted inside and out with mold growth. The liners also may 

 become the source of moldy butter, unless made of a good 



