PACKING BUTTER 385 



parcel post shipment of farm butter and similar farm produce 

 has been the unfortunate tendency of some farmers to ask prices 

 far above those current in their own rural localities and higher 

 than those charged by fancy retail stores of the cities for butter 

 of the same grade. It is obvious that the consumer will refuse 

 to look to the parcel post service as a practical and desirable 

 means to secure his butter, as long as he is unable to buy it 

 through this channel at prices that are no higher than those 

 which he is charged at the store. 



Packing Butter for Exhibits and Scoring Contests. When 

 preparing butter for exhibits and scoring contests neatness, 

 attractiveness and protection against high temperature are of 

 chief importance. For exhibits proper, butter may be used for 

 diverse designs, representing certain objects, or it may be put up 

 in neat commercial packages, attractively grouped and arranged. 

 For scoring contests, where the chief object is score on the quality 

 basis, the twenty pound white ash tub is the most suitable pack- 

 age. It is large enough for all practical purposes of scoring and 

 sampling for analysis, and it is small enough to avoid unneces- 

 sary sacrifice of butter and excessive transportation charges. 

 Scoring contest butter is usually not returned to the maker after 

 the contest. In most cases it is sold and the returns are used 

 towards defraying the expense of the scoring, in which case the 

 entire package is lost to the creamery. In other instances the 

 returns sre pro-rated among the contestants according to the 

 pounds of butter entered, in many cases the creamery gets 

 something back for its butter, though the price received for the 

 butter after scoring, is usually very low, due to the damaged 

 condition of the goods. The twenty pound tub is desirable also 

 because it can be conveniently packed into a sixty pound tub 

 for shipment. 



In putting up the scoring contest butter a perfect tub should 

 be selected. This should be treated in the usual way, steamed, 

 paraffined and neatly lined with brine-soaked parchment circles 

 and liners. The butter should be packed into it very firmly with 

 sterile and cooled ladles and packers and in a clean, cool room. 

 The packing should be finished in the neatest possible way. 

 After cutting the surplus butter off the top so as to leave a 



