ON BUTTERMAKING 45 



What amount of fat should be present in butter? 



Not less than 80 per cent. 



How should butter be packed for shipment? 



This depends on the requirements of the different 

 markets. Regulation wooden tubs containing 10, 

 20, 30, or 60 pounds are used most extensively in 

 the United States. In Canada most of the butter 

 made for export is packed in square boxes, holding 

 about 56 pounds. Dairy butter is usually packed 

 in earthen jars, and nothing gives better satisfaction. 



In many creameries the butter is wrapped in 

 pound prints and packed in boxes for shipment. 

 Butter in this form usually brings at least one cent 

 per pound more than tub butter. The prints should 

 be wrapped in parchment paper, upon which the 

 name of the creamery is neatly printed. 



How are butter tubs prepared for use? 



For about 24 hours before the tubs are to be 

 filled with butter they should be soaked in a warm, 

 saturated brine. This helps to destroy mold and 

 closes the pores of the wood. The covers should 

 be kept on the tubs to prevent warping. Just 

 before the tubs are to be used they should be rinsed 

 with warm water, then steamed, and then cooled 

 with cold water. They are then ready to be lined 

 with paper, and then filled with butter. The paper 

 linings and circles should be soaked in a strong 

 brine for a few hours before used. Many manu- 

 facturers are now using tubs coated with paraffin. 

 This almost entirely prevents mold growth, and the 

 tubs are ready for paper lining as soon as rinsed 

 in cold water. 



