8 BULLETIN 690, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
to prosecution, and if undermarked the creamery may 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 by 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 were made to one-fourth pounds 
by representatives of the department, both at the Ce MES and in the 
market, the following results were obtained: 
Chicago shipments. New York shipments. 

State. 
Number of| Average | Number of] Average 
tubs. shrinkage. tubs. shrinkage. 
EV VANS OUAS UI ia ose sm ee esa he et See ee a 160 0. 399 46 0. 418 
IMGTNTVES O fae ee See oy pak es Es as 2 aN en no eee ee 149 . 210 345 AAW | 
The actual average net shrinkage on the Wisconsin butter was 
approximately 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 creamery 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. 3 
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 
