DAIRYING 33 



do not drop off as the tub dries in the store room before it is 

 used. 



Preparing Butter Tubs for Use. 



588. Many suggestions have been made concerning the 

 best way to treat both tubs and other packages before filling 

 them. It is evident that they must be perfectly clean, as near 

 water-tight as possible, and free from mold spores. These con- 

 ditions can be brought about in a more or less satisfactory way 

 by any one of the following treatments. 



1. The day before the tub is to be used it may be filled 

 with saturated brine and allowed to stand twenty-four hours. 

 After this brine-soaking, which should be given to the parch- 

 ment paper tub lining also, the tubs are washed and steamed, 

 then filled with cold water and held in this way until filled with 

 butter. During the brine soaking the covers may be kept on 

 the tubs to prevent warping. The time of soaking in brine may 

 be reduced to two hours if hot brine is used and a steaming 

 box may be made for heating the tubs after soaking and thus 

 reduce the cost of steam used for this purpose. 



2. The tubs may be immersed in scalding hot water for 

 one-half hour when sprinkled inside with salt and allowed to 

 stand over night empty. In the morning place them for about 

 three minutes over a steam jet, after which each tub is filled with 

 cold water and stands this way until filled. 



3. Soak the tubs in brine containing 5 per cent formalde- 

 hyde and the parchment paper linings in brine to which 1^ 

 ounce formaldehyde has been added per gallon. 



4. Place each tub over a steam jet long enough to heat it 

 thoroughly, then coat the inside with hot paraffin. This may be 

 done either with a brush or by pouring hot paraffin into each 

 tub, which is then rotated until the inside is all coated. 



589. The hot paraffin destroys all mold spores, and as they 

 do not get nourishment from paraffin, those that may fall on its 

 surface later will not grow. The paraffin melts at a temperature 



