The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1901-02-14
uhsAlTED BUTTER.
a Study In weight and Market
pp}0Aa

Prices.
There is in the large cities q limited
trade in fresh butter, and this demand
is known as the Jew trade, says The
Creamery Journal. The price is little
higher than the price Of sailed butter,
but one must have the market secured
In advance to be safe in shipping that
grade Of butter. One of Iowa's promi-
nent creameries lately received an Of
fer of III cents above for butter unsalt-
ed and uncolored. This looks like
snap, and it is something that way.
But there comes in the privilege of sell
ing salt at butter prices when the but
ter is sailed. and it hinges upon the in
creased weight of sailed butter. This
creamery already received three-quar-
tiers of cent above highest quotations,
SO the offer was really three-quarters
of a cent above what the butter was
selling for. X
Suppose it takes seven pounds Of salt
to salt 100 pounds of butter. This is
an extra investment of cents at least.
Suppose three pounds of this salt re-
mains in the finished product. When
butter is netting % cents, this means
&c cents received for the salt and an
Investment of but cents to get it, or
a net gain of SO cents per 100 of butter.
But it is uncertain that the butter will
weigh per cent more because it is
sailed. Granular butter, we'll drained
and weighed. then sailed and worked,
will sometimes weigh more than before
and sometimes less. One may look for
q shrinkage, as a general thing, vary
ing from to IA per cent.
This was discussed at the Wisconsin
dairy convention last winter, and Pro-
fessor Woll said that sometimes the
weight was increased by sailing the
butter and sometimes not. He thought
that if we'll drained the salt would
make slight increase. Mr.. Amend
made strong point, saying that he
sold much of his butter unsalted and
worked it about half as long as when
he sailed it. This will, of course, leave
in more water, but it is known by
analysis that sailed butter looks more
watery. than unsalted because the brine
collects in larger drops than the drops
of water in unsalted butter. G. ].
Ward said he makes both kinds and
once had an order for one more tub of
sailed butter than he had, so he took a
tub Of butter which was unsalted,
weighed it. added the salt and worked
it, then weighed again, and it weighed
IL pounds more than before it was
sailed. This is adding a full two
pounds per 100 by adding salt. Mr..
Thorpe said he had sold his butter in
granular form, unsalted, and concluded
that he would salt it and get the profit
opthe salt. but found uniform shrink
age of one pound in seven by sailing.
These reports enable us to get pretty
near to the bottom facts. If unworked
butter is sailed and worked, it will gen.
orally shrink little if the same ap-
parent moisture is left in. If butter
which has been worked to finish is
sailed and worked, there will be a
small increase in weight, for the little
moisture left in the finished unsalted
butter will dissolve the salt. and there
will be little surplus moisture to be ex-
pC1lCu. but IL q IoI VI 5 OotIC1
be divided into two equal parts and
One-half be sailed and worked, the 9TH
er half worked without salt and both
to the same apparent dryness so far as
available evidence goes, the weight of
the two finished lots of butter will be
practically equal. sometimes one being
slightly heavier and sometimes the 9th
er. This is because more moisture has
to be expelled from sailed butter to
make it look as dry as the unsalted but
ter. the drops of water being collected
into larger drops by the action of the
salt and being easier discerned by the
eye. From this it looks as if the offer
of three-quarters of cent advance up
on the price then received is an actual
advance Of three-quarters of cent and
is worth taking in.