MARKETING CREAMERY BUTTER. 5 



PREPARING PACKAGES FOR BULK BUTTER. 



Before packing butter into tubs or cubes they should be scrubbed 

 thoroughly with a stiff bristle brush and strong hot alkali water 

 until the wood is bright and clean. (See fig. 2.) Then it is well to 

 soak them in a tank of strong brine, as it tends to hold in check the 

 development of mold. The soaking of the tub or cube also increases 

 its moisture content and tends to reduce the shrinkage of the butter. 

 The package should be paraffined before the parchment paper liner 

 is applied, especially if the butter is to be placed in cold storage 

 for a number of months. The liners should be soaked in a strong 



Fig. 2. — White ash butter tubs which hold approximately 63 pounds of butter. The tub 

 on the left presents an unattractive appearance, due to its moldy condition. Butter in 

 clean tubs is sold more readily and at higher prices in the market. 



solution of brine and carefully placed in the tub or cube so that the 

 butter is protected from direct contact with wood and presents a neat 

 and attractive appearance when the package is opened for inspection. 



PACKING BULK BUTTER. 



In packing butter in tubs or cubes the parchment liners should 

 be retained in the proper place and the butter packed solidly so that 

 it is free from holes. (See fig. 3.) In some of the larger eastern 

 markets a great deal of butter is retailed direct from the tub, and 

 to some extent this is done with cubes on the Pacific coast markets. 

 When tub butter is retailed in this way, the tub and liner are re- 

 moved, and it is cut with a wire into three horizontal layers. De- 



