PRICES AND QUALITY OF CREAMERY BUTTER. if 
QUALITY DEMANDS OF TRADE IN DIFFERENT CITIES. 
In order to determine to what extent the “quality standards” of 
the trade differ in various markets, numerous lots of butter were 
sampled and scored in over 50 of the leading cities in all sections of 
the United States. The standard of quality of the “ general run” of 
the market or the grade of goods which current market quotations 
generally represented was determined by a daily inspection of cur- 
rent arrivals in the storerooms of the wholesale trade. In figuring the 
average or the prevailing standard for any market, the scores of only 
such lots as were acceptable to the higher class of grocery trade in 
those cities were included. To check the inspections in the wholesale 
market, a number of sales were followed through to the consumer. 
The results of these studies of the comparative quality standards of 
the trade in the various important market centers of the United 
States showed differences of two or three points between the prevail- 
ing grades or the standards of the most discriminating eastern mar- 
kets and those of certain western and southern cities. 
In Table 2 the average scores of more than 150 different lots distrib- 
uted among the retail trade of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. 
Paul, and Minneapolis are shown. The first column is the average 
score of the representative lots of all butter sold to all classes of trade, 
and such scores are indicative of the “ general run” of the market 
at that season of the year. The second column shows the average of 
lots sold only to the most select grocery trade, and such scores indi- 
cate the compartive standards for so-called “ Extras” in those 
markets. 
TABLE 2.—Average scores for lots of creamery butter sold to all classes of trade 
and to select trade. 
[Based on scorings in winter months, 1914-15.] 
Market. All classes Select 
of trade. trade. 
| 
IN Gin VODA ORS Sage Seis Re ele eae ea een ae ee en Se | 90. 2 91.1 
Philadelphia s322 sec. 22 5 se cote SAS Sate ATi A RR A ee ys OARS ieee ee ee | 90. 8 91.8 
CTH CAT Ore ee ae er aay Sa Sen he. Pa RE Ree es. RN ae pene. PSE et 89. 2 90. 2 
St. Peal AIVABMITTTE a OU Se tarry ae one sete ie a eta se URIAe ne cue cides eeemea es | 89. 1 89. 6 
The comparisons of the prevailing standards of the trade in the 
cities named above are based on the scorings of a single expert butter 
judge. This eliminates differences of personal tastes and makes the 
results of the work fairly comparable. 
Although there is difference of opinion with regard to the com- 
parative quality standards of different markets, the experience of 
most creameries has demonstrated the fact that the quality demands 
of the trade are different in different cities. Thus the majority of 
