8 BULLETIN 690, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGEICTJLTUEE. 



to prosecution, and if iindermarked the creamery nia,y be paid for 

 less than the actual net weight of the butter if the receiver or buyer 

 accepts the weights marked on the packages by the creamery. In the 

 investigation, comparisons of creameries' weights and receivers' 

 weights were made of 1,044 tubs, consisting of 55 shipments of Minne- 

 sota butter, forwarded to 32 firms on seven different markets. The 

 net weight at the market was 605.5 pounds less than the weight at 

 the creamery, or an average of 0.58 pounds less per tub than the 

 creameries' weights. 



Considerable variation in shrinkage was observed in the various 

 shipments. One shipment showed an average loss of 2.3 pounds per 

 tub, while another apparently gained 1.37 pounds per tub. These 

 wide variations may have been due to errors in weighing at the cream- 

 ery and the methods of weighing employed by the receivers of butter 

 in the market. In some markets fractional pounds were not consid- 

 ered b}^ the receivers and only a portion of the tubs were stripped to 

 get the average tare which was used in estimating the net weights for 

 the entire lot. 



In a more detailed investigation, including both Wisconsin and 

 Minnesota butter, where weighings w^ere made to one-fourth pounds 

 by representatives of the department, both at the creamery and in the 

 market, the following results were obtained : 





state. 



Chicago shipments. 



New York shipments. 





Number of 

 tubs. 



Average 

 slirinkage. 



Number of 

 tubs. 



Average 

 shrinkage. 





160 

 149 



0.399 

 .210 



46 

 345 



0.418 





.217 







The actual average net shrinkage on the Wisconsin butter was 

 aj)proximately four-tenths of a pound per tub, and on the Minnesota 

 butter only two-tenths of a pound. The difference in the shrinkage 

 of the butter per tub when the weighings were made in the market 

 by the receivers, and when made by representatives of the depart- 

 ment, may be explained by the differences in the methods of weighing. 



The representatives of the department, both at the creamer^' and 

 in the market, obtained the gross weight of the tub when filled and 

 when empty (not including the tub cover) to the nearest quarter 

 pound. The difference between these weights was taken as the net 

 weight of butter. 



MARKET METHODS OF WEIGHING. 



The receivers on the market usually weigh each tub in the ship- 

 ment separately to obtain its gross weight. In obtaining the gross 

 weight, fractions of pounds usually were disregarded; in fact, most 



