MARKETING 201 



WEIGHING TUB BUTTER ON THE MARKET 



153. Customary methods. — The Aarious markets have 

 different methods of weighing tub butter. Some dealers 

 weigh each tub separately and thus obtain the gross 

 weight. Then they strip several tubs and ascertain the 

 average net weight of the butter. The difference of the 

 gross and the net weight of these tubs (that are stripped) 

 are then taken, thus giving the tare of the tub. The final 

 weight of the butter is obtained by subtracting the average 

 tare from the gross weight of each tub. Some whole- 

 sale merchants accept the weights marked on the tubs 

 by the creameries. The Chicago Butter and Egg Board ^ 

 states that not less than 10 per cent of the tubs shall be 

 weighed. The New York ^ dealers in determining the 

 tare of the tub usually make " test weights " as follows : 



Weigh 3 tubs out of 12 or under. 

 Weigh 6 tubs out of 12 to 40. 

 Weigh 10 tubs out of 40 to 100. 

 Weigh 15 tubs out of 100 to 150. 

 Weigh 20 to 25 tubs out of a carload. 



It is customary on most markets to require " up weight " ; 

 also it is not often that a butter-dealer will weigh less 

 than full pounds. 



154. Amount of butter in tub. — For several years 

 many creameries have placed a certain amount of butter 

 in each tub, such as sixty-two or sixty-three pounds. 

 Since the net weight amendment to the Pure Food Law, 

 more creameries have made a practice to put a uniform 

 amount in each tub and then have stamped the net weight 

 on the tub instead of marking it with a pencil. The 

 creameries have to make an allowance of one-half to one 



1 Potts, Roy C, and Meyer, H. F., Marketing Creamery 

 Butter, U. S. Dept. of Agri., Bui. 456, p. 7, 1917. 



