BUTTER STORAGE 447 



Quality and Effect of Imported Butter on Domestic Butter 

 Markets. The quality of foreign butter imported into the 

 United States before the war varied naturally with the source 

 of the butter, the grades ranging from 85 to 93 points. Butter 

 from Denmark and from the Argentine Republic usually scored 

 92 or better. Butter from Siberia was more or less irregular in 

 quality, some of it was very poor. New Zealand and Australian 

 butter also came irregular in quality, some of it however being 

 very fine. 1 



The tariff reduction and the subsequent large influx of 

 foreign butter depressed price quotations in American markets 

 to a very marked degree. Thus in March, 1914, Elgin quotations 

 dropped to 24 cents, which is an abnormally low figure for 

 March. This price depression on domestic goods was felt most 

 in the Pacific Coast states in 1914, at which time large ship- 

 ments of butter were received from Australia and New Zealand. 

 Prices at that time were depressed from 3 to 5 cents, presum- 

 ably as the result of the influx of foreign butter. Potts 2 offers 

 the opinion, however, that the sudden depression in prices was 

 largely for the purpose of curtailing further imports, as there- 

 by the market prices here would be lower than those abroad 

 and therefore discouraging exportation from foreign countries. 

 He further states that prior to the beginning of the European 

 war several New York butter firms were arranging for con- 

 tracts to receive butter from Europe. 



CHAPTER XV. 

 BUTTER STORAGE. 



Time and Duration of Storage. The great bulk of butter 

 goes into storage in May, June and early part of July, though 

 butter may be, and is, stored at any time of the year when the 

 supply and butter prices appear favorable for storage. May, 

 June and the first half of July are the natural storage months of 

 butter in the northern hemisphere, because the freshening of the 

 majority of the cows and succulent condition of the pastures 



1 Information furnished by S. C. Thompson, U. S. Dairy Division, Aug- 

 ust, 1916. 



2 Potts, Specialist in Marketing Dairy Products, U. S. Dept. of Agricul- 

 ture, 1916. 



