The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-29
A GROWING INDUSTRY.
Native Spruce scores Another Triumph
for Home Products.

for Home Products.
Advance sheets Of the Pacific Lumber
Trade Journal predict that the recent rate
of 60 cents on tubs and slaves given by the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific roads
from Puget sound points TO Chicago will
introduce another Pacific coast commodity
into the Eastern market IL is that OF
spruce butter tabs. IL is a well-known fact
that spruce is odorleSs and does not COM
municate the taste of the wood 10 the con-
tents of the package. In this respect 1t is
an ideal wood for butter tubs, and has no
rival except Eastern ash. which. although
an excellent wood. is not TO be compared
with Pacific coast spruce. How important
the butter tub industry is and how much
it may mean for the Pacific Northwest.
especially in the spruce belt il Is only nee
essary 10 state that the value Of the dairy
product OF one state, Iowa. equals the out
put Of silver and other metals Of the state
OF Colorado.
AT present there are very few tub and
bucket factories in the Pacific Northwest,
and il is only within the past few months
that the two hrgest concerns, the a. n
Anderson Woodenware Company. Of Ia
coma, and the Washington Woodworking
Company. Of Ocosta. began to cast about
for an outside market The rate given by
the railroads TO the East warrants the be-
lief that the experiment will be success
full In this connection the Pacific Lumber
Trade Journal has obtained some facts con-
corning the industry from r. +. Wright
OF the Washington Woodworking Company.
which VIII be OF general interest.
In the manufacture Of slaves for butter
tubs bolts are used, and cost about 81 80
per cord laid down at the factory. For Co
pound tubs l6-inch slaves are used and
for 4e-pound tubs s-inch slaves. out of
one cord OF bolts it is possible 10 obtain
enough slaves 10 make go large tubs. or
about $50 small ones. Ten slaves four
inches wide are required for a 60-pound
tub The wholesale price at which the
tubs are sold Is Is cents for 4o-pOund tub
and % cents for a G0-pound tub In ship
ping the tubs IL is possible to put
about 4.0o0 made up tubs into an ordinary
car. or f2e0o tubs In knoCkdown shape.
By puttinE 1900 pounds OF slaves into the
car in knockdown shape, the freight
charges. on a en-cent rate, viii be Si44 per
car. or about IA cents freight per tub.
which, il added 10 the price. will make the
cost per tub laid down in Chicago 26i4 cents.
The ash tub which spruce expects 10 DIS
place, costs IN Chicago % cents. which al
lows a difference in favor OF the Coast arti-
Gle Of II. cents per tub, which Is quite an
item when large quantities are ordered.
But there are other advantages which less
en- the cost OF the spruce tub. according 10
Mr. Wright. which. 4 true, viii effeCtually
Sfspiace the ash article In the first place.
50 butter handlers inform him, an ash tub
viii absorb two pounds of butter against
less than one pound absorbed by spruce.
Putting the market price OF butter at Is
cents. this item IS most significant. An
other thing Is that the butter sticks TO the
sides OF the ash article while in a spruce
tub the butter viii come cat freely. there
by making another saving Finally as
said before there IS no ta.nt OF the wood
when a spruce tub is used, which cannot be
said OF any other wood.
The above are facts we'll worthy a in-
vestigatlou by butter makers. Mr. Wright
certainly ought 70 know What ne Is talk
ing about, and II his statements are cor
rohorated there can be no question az 10
the future Of the butter tub industry. One
salient feature - thar every short piece
around spruce sawmill can be converted
into slaves sgd heading. and 10 that way
"A very nice revenue can be obtained for
me terial that Is now burned in the refuse
burner or practically given away in the
shape Of boxes The tub proposition Ger
ta4nly looks promising, bat Ike every