THE MARKETING OF FARM PRODUCTS 859 



however, is not so rich as some varieties, 3.7 per cent being a 

 good percentage for butter-fat. Nearly all of the calves are kept 

 for exportation or other purposes, so the skim milk is used in 

 feeding them. The milking is done two or sometimes three 

 times a day by the women. Sometimes the skimming is done 

 by allowing the cream to rise, but generally hand separators are 

 used. The churning is done on the morning of the market, 

 which happens either once or twice a week. 



After churning, the women take the butter to town. Here 

 they generally have to pay an octroi or tax of about 5 centimes 

 a kilo (| cent a pound) before they can enter the market place. 

 The buyers are lined up in the section designated for them, and 

 to them the women take the butter. The buyers pay according to 

 the quality, which they ascertain by the smell, and a great deal of 

 dickering is done before any transaction takes place. 



The buyers are agents for the butter-packing establishments, 

 of which there are quite a number. The three most important 

 as well as most representative will be described. 



The Union dcs beurreries de France is a large company 

 of 4,000,000 francs (about 3800,000) capital. It owns several 

 creameries and butter-packing factories in various parts of France. 

 It has branch offices in Paris, London, and other large cities. 

 One of its largest factories is at Vire, in a very rich grazing 

 district of Normandy. When the butter is brought in from the 

 markets it is tasted by an expert and graded into four quali- 

 ties. Each of these grades is put into a special mixer and 

 kneaded until quite uniform. It is then packed. The butter that 

 is to be shipped to Paris is packed in 10-kilo (22-pound) wicker 

 baskets ; that which goes to England is packed in wicker baskets 

 of better quality, each holding 28 pounds, or else in wooden 

 boxes containing six 4-pound rolls. The wicker baskets for Paris 

 cost 25 centimes (5 cents) apiece. Those for England cost 1.25 

 francs (25 cents). The boxes for England cost about .45 francs 

 (9 cents) apiece. Before shipment the butter is placed in a cold- 

 storage room and thoroughly chilled. When sent in large quanti- 

 ties it is sent in refrigerated cars. The factory at Vire packs about 

 16 tons of butter a dav in summer and 10 to 12 tons in winter. 



