375] THE BUTTER MARKET i$i 



parts of the country is the " contract system ", the very 

 poor butter is still largely sold on commission, because for 

 this kind of butter there is frequently no market price, and 

 the only way that it can be disposed of is on the basis of a 

 percentage of what it will bring. 



COLD STORAGE 



Cold storage has in recent years become an important 

 part of the machinery of the butter market. Mechanical 

 refrigeration came into use shortly before 1890 and from 

 this time to 1893 the development of cold storage as a 

 public utility in the preservation of food was very rapid. 1 



In the early days, and as late as 1879, the preservation 

 of summer-made butter for winter use was principally the 

 producer's task. The dairyman packed it, preserved it 

 with brine or salt, and stored it in cellars. At that time the 

 summer-made butter was far superior to the winter-made 

 butter, and in spite of the fact that it was held for a con- 

 siderable length of time and preserved by crude methods, 

 it was a " most rare acquisition to the winter stock of pro- 

 visions in a city family ". 2 This kind of butter, however, 

 could not stand the competition of good creamery butter 

 made in the winter. The scientific methods that were be- 

 ginning to be applied improved the quality of the winter- 

 made butter, and after 1879 m ade it unprofitable to hold 

 butter on the farm preserved in the old way. 3 But with the 

 introduction of mechanical refrigeration butter could be 

 held for a long time in a very good condition, the deteriora- 

 tion being so slight that it would bring within a cent or two 

 as much as butter fresh from the creamery. 



1 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Statistics, Bulletin 101, 

 p. 8. 



2 Ohio Agricultural Report for 1858. 



s Review of the butter trade in the Report of the N. Y. Chamber of 

 Commerce for 1870. p. 56. 



