77 



each lot should be carefully rammed so as to get it solid and 

 leave no air spaces. To do this, use the packer with a slight 

 slant from the center to the sides of the tub. This is all im- 

 portant, not only in 



,^m ^H?9^^H order to exclude the 



air (which reduces 

 the keeping quality), 

 but also because it 

 is foolish to pack 

 four to five pounds 

 (Fig. 78) (Fig. 74) less in a tub than it 



will hold, as was done in the tub shown in Fig. 73. The New 

 York Produce Review kindly lent me this illustration from an 

 article on packing, one of the many interesting ones published 

 by that enterprising paper. In Fig. 74 is shown a tub packed 

 in a nearly perfect manner, though there is one place defective. 



Ram the butter so as to more than fill the tub and strike 

 it off level with the edge. Some use a wire to cut it with. 

 If you want to smooth it do it by pressing with the ladle, not 

 by rubbing, which makes the butter greasy. Line bottom and 

 sides with good parchment paper, leaving an even edge of 

 about one inch, to be folded neatly over the top before putting 

 on the cloth circle, then dampen this with brine and sprinkle 

 a thin layer of salt on top of it. Fasten the cover with 4 equi- 

 distant tin straps, using half-inch wire nails. Stencil uniformly 



without getting finger marks on tub, 

 weigh the tub before filling and after, 

 marking the gross and tare in pencil. 

 Reweigh the day of shipping and you 

 may save yourself from being unjust 

 to your commission man. If the but- 

 ter has not too much water, if the tub 

 has been properly soaked, if you allow 

 ]/4 lb. to y 2 lb. per 60 Ib. tub for 

 shrinkage, and if your scales are cor- 

 rect, you need not fear any deductions 

 from your weights by honest commis- 

 sion men. In this connection it must 

 be said that scales, especially platform 

 scales, are liable to get out of order, 

 brine will soon rust them; hence one similar to the one shown 



(Fig. 75) 



