MARKETING CREAMERY BUTTER. 21 



spected may be those of a churning of a lower or higher grade than 

 the other tubs. It would be possible to avoid this if creameries would 

 give each churning a consecutive number, and number the tubs of 

 each churning accordingly. (See par. 6, p. 33 of Iowa State brand 

 requirements.) In this way one tub from each churning could be 

 inspected. This practice would also be a convenience to receivers and 

 buyers in selecting tubs of the same quality or of a single churning. 



DUTIES OF OFFICIAL MARKET INSPECTORS. 



Most of the butter sold on the " call ? ' is bought subject to official 

 inspection, and in such sales the certificate of inspection is delivered 

 to the buyer with the butter. When requested to do so the inspector 

 also may certify to the grade of butter received by members of the 

 exchange from creameries or sold privately by them. In some mar- 

 kets butter purchased for export, for the Government, or for private, 

 municipal, or State institutions must bear the official stamp of the 

 inspector. In trading between members of the exchanges, a certifi- 

 cate is issued but the packages are not stamped unless it is requested. 



In some markets the inspector is regularly employed by the ex- 

 change, while in others one of the members of the exchange may be 

 appointed to serve as inspector, since there are but few sales on " call " 

 and inspections are rather infrequent. 



Most of the butter is accepted from creameries by the wholesale 

 receivers without an official inspection. Even in the market distribu- 

 tion of the butter it is largely a matter of bargaining between the 

 salesman and the buyer.. The receiver or buyer is the judge of the 

 quality, and his inspection is spoken of as being " over the trier." If 

 the price and quality are satisfactory, official inspection is unneces- 

 sary. Official market inspection of shipments from creameries are 

 more frequent on a weak market or when the trend of prices is lower 

 than on a firm market when prices are advancing. Such a practice 

 has been criticized, and it has been proposed that the State creamery 

 associations should maintain inspectors on the larger and more im- 

 portant markets. It has also been suggested that the Federal Gov- 

 ernment might maintain an inspection service on the principal mar- 

 kets and at points of concentration. Such a service would require 

 the promulgation of Government grades for butter. 



BUTTER QUOTATIONS. 



Butter quotations are usually intended to serve as an index of the 

 wholesale market value of certain grades of butter. Formerly the 

 wholesale trade organizations exerted a considerable influence upon 

 butter market quotations through quotation committees. In most 

 markets at present the quotations are determined by market-reporting 



