=UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS=

                        COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
                    AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
                         BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

                 COMPARISON OF WOODS FOR BUTTER BOXES

                        _By_ G. D. TURNBOW

[Illustration: Proper method of packing cartoned butter in 60-pound boxes]

                           BULLETIN No. 369
                             August, 1923

                    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
                               BERKELEY
                                 1923




                 COMPARISON OF WOODS FOR BUTTER BOXES

                                  BY

                             G. D. TURNBOW


Butter boxes used in shipping and storing butter in California, are
usually made of spruce which is largely shipped in from other states
particularly from Washington and Oregon.

With the recent war, however, there came an acute shortage of spruce
on the Pacific Coast with a corresponding increase in price. The
commercial manufacturers did some work in an attempt to find a
substitute for spruce, but the trade did not readily accept a change.
There was a demand from both the lumber and the butter interests for
investigation to find a suitable substitute for spruce.

The production of spruce is somewhat limited in California, but there
is an abundance of white fir and a limited amount of cottonwood
available. However, the creamerymen have not used white fir and
cottonwood to any extent for butter containers, on account of the
belief that these materials would impart a wood flavor to the butter.

Inasmuch as nearly all of the butter made in this State is shipped or
stored in wooden containers, the use of white fir or cottonwood, would
mean first, a material saving to the butter manufacturers in marketing
expense, and second, an opportunity for the lumber interests to use a
large amount of raw material already available in California, which
heretofore had been of little commercial value or use.


BUTTER ABSORBS ODOR

The volatile fats in butter have the property of absorbing odors,
which often results in an undesirable flavor. Great care then must be
exercised in keeping butter from coming in contact with materials that
will impart a foreign flavor. Butter need be exposed to foreign odors
only a short length of time before the flavor is permanently affected.

Experiments[A] were conducted, therefore, to determine whether white
fir or cottonwood would impart a flavor to the butter and also to
determine the possibility of storing butter in cubes and marketing it
in 60-pound cases when these woods were used.

[A] This experiment was suggested by Mr. M. B. Pratt, Deputy State
Forester. Through his coöperation, all box material was furnished by
the Swayne Lumber Company of Oroville and the Capitol Box Factory of
Sacramento.


CUBE BUTTER IN COLD STORAGE

The butter for cold storage was packed in white fir, cottonwood, and
spruce containers holding ten pounds each. Both seasoned and unseasoned
woods were used in each of the three methods of packing.

[Illustration: Fig. 1.—Butter packed in cubes paraffined and parchment
lined.]

The first set packed with butter were plain unseasoned boxes of each
of the woods. The second set had the inner surface paraffined before
packing. The method of paraffining was to invert the box over a steam
jet and steam thoroughly. This served a double purpose in that it
opened the pores of the wood and allowed the paraffin to penetrate, and
the heated surface of the wood kept the paraffin in a liquid condition
so that it could be put on in a thinner coat than if the paraffin had
been applied to a cold surface. After the boxes had been allowed to
drain, the inside was then painted with paraffin at 240° F. This method
gave a complete covering to the wood, a result which is not always
obtained by some of the commercial paraffin atomizers. The third set
was paraffined as above and, in addition, lined with good parchment
paper so that no butter could come in contact with either wood or
paraffin (fig. 1). Twenty-three 10-pound boxes were packed in the three
ways.

They were filled with the butter from one churning which scored 92½
after being chilled for 24 hours at 50° F. and were shipped immediately
after the first scoring to a cold storage plant in San Francisco and
stored at a temperature of 12° F. The butter was scored monthly for six
months. The summary of the scoring is given in table 1.


TABLE 1

Influence of Various Woods on Cube Butter in Storage[B]

[B] This scoring was done by T. J. Harris, San Francisco Dairy Produce
Exchange, S. L. Denning, Oakland, and G. D. Turnbow, College of
Agriculture, University of California.

=========================================================================
                                                            Average score
  No.    Kind                                               of butter in
  of      of         How          First  Lowest  Average of  same kind
 sample  wood       treated       score  score   all scores    of box
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1   White Fir   Unseasoned      92.5    89      90.857
                   No Paraffin
                   No Parchment
   2   Cottonwood  Unseasoned      92.5    86      89.214
                   No Paraffin
                   No Parchment
   3   Spruce      Unseasoned      92.5    88      90.785
                   No Paraffin
                   No Parchment
   4   Spruce      Seasoned        92.5    89      90.642
                   Paraffin
                   No Parchment
   6   White Fir   Seasoned        92.5    90      90.857
                   Paraffin
                   No Parchment
   7   Cottonwood  Seasoned        92.5    87      89.571
                   Paraffin
                   No Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   5   Cottonwood  Unseasoned      92.5    88      89.857
                   Paraffin
                   No Parchment
   8   Spruce      Unseasoned      92.5    90      90.928
                   Paraffin
                   No Parchment
   9   White Fir   Unseasoned      92.5    89      90.571
                   Paraffin
                   No Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  10    Cottonwood  Unseasoned      92.5   91.0     91.714
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  11   Cottonwood  Unseasoned      92.5   89.0     90.571         91.142
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  18   Cottonwood  Unseasoned      92.5   89.0     91.142
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12   Spruce      Unseasoned      92.5   90.5      91.5
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  13   Spruce      Unseasoned      92.5   91.0     91.571         91.333
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  14   Spruce      Unseasoned      92.5   90.0     90.928
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  15   White Fir   Unseasoned      92.5  89.0     90.928
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  16   White Fir   Unseasoned      92.5  90.0     91.285         91.107
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  17   White Fir   Seasoned        92.5  89.0     90.857         91.142
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  20   White Fir   Seasoned        92.5  90.5     91.428
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  19   Cottonwood  Seasoned         92.5  90.5     91.571
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  21   Spruce      Seasoned        92.5  90.0     91.214
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  22   Spruce      Seasoned        92.5  90.0     91.571         91.523
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
  23   Spruce      Seasoned        92.5  91.0     91.785
                   Paraffin
                   Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

SIXTY-POUND BOXES PACKED FOR MARKET The butter for market was cut into
two-pound squares, wrapped and packed in 60-pound containers, made of
white fir, cottonwood and spruce (figs. 2, 3 and 4). The butter was
stored in a cold room, the temperature of which ranged from 48° to 50°
F. It was held in storage twenty-eight days, which is within two days
of the maximum time butter may be held and still sold as fresh butter.
Butter held over thirty days must be labeled “storage butter.” The
butter was scored four times during the storage period. The butter used
was all from the same churning which scored 93 after being chilled for
twenty-four hours at 50° F.

Table 2 gives a summary of the scores showing the effect upon butter in
containers with varying treatments. When paraffined, the inside of the
boxes was painted with the paraffin at 240° F.


TABLE 2

Influence of Various Woods on Butter Packed in 60-Lb. Boxes[C]

[C] Butter scored by J. C. Marquardt and G. D. Turnbow of the College
of Agriculture, University of California.

=========================================================================
                                                                 Average
No. of                                          Highest  Lowest  of all
sample  Kind of wood      How treated            score   score   scores
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1   White Fir    Unseasoned, Not Paraffined     93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
  3   Cottonwood   Unseasoned, Not Paraffined     93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
  7   Spruce       Unseasoned, Not Paraffined     93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-a   White Fir    Unseasoned, Not Paraffined      —       —        —
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
3-a   Cottonwood   Unseasoned, Not Paraffined     93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
7-a   Spruce       Unseasoned, Not Paraffined     93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  2   White Fir    Seasoned, Not Paraffined       93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
  9   Cottonwood   Seasoned, Not Paraffined       93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
  8   Spruce       Seasoned, Not Paraffined       93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-a   White Fir    Seasoned, Not Paraffined       93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
9-a   Cottonwood   Seasoned, Not Paraffined       93      90       91.175
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
8-a   Spruce       Seasoned, Not Paraffined       93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  4   Cottonwood   Seasoned, Paraffined           93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
  5   White Fir    Seasoned, Box Paraffined       93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
  6   Spruce       Seasoned, Paraffined           93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, Cartons
                   Box Lined with Wrapping Paper
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
4-a   Cottonwood   Seasoned, Paraffined           93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
5-a   White Fir    Seasoned, Paraffined           93      92.75    92.562
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment
6-a   Spruce       Seasoned, Paraffined           93      93       93
                   Parchment Wrapped, No Cartons
                   Box Lined with Parchment


NAILING OF BOXES

Five-penny cement-coated nails were used in making the boxes.
Practically no splitting was caused by the nails in unseasoned white
fir, spruce, or cottonwood. There was very little splitting in seasoned
cottonwood. The nails, however, caused a slight splitting in the
seasoned spruce and quite a noticeable splitting in the white fir, but
not enough in either to cause an appreciable loss.

[Illustration: Fig. 2.—Typical 60-pound white fir boxes showing general
run of this wood.]


CONCLUSIONS


Cube Butter in Cold Storage

_Boxes paraffined and parchment lined._—White fir and cottonwood can
be used in place of spruce for storing butter in cubes, when properly
seasoned, paraffined, and parchment lined.

Cottonwood is equal to spruce as a butter container. Butter stored in
cottonwood boxes for six months had an average score of 0.048 of a
point above spruce treated in the same manner.

[Illustration: Fig. 3.—Method of lining 60-pound boxes with paper.]

[Illustration: Fig. 4.—Parchment wrapped butter in parchment lined
box.]

White fir may be used very successfully. It scored during the six
months’ storage only an average of 0.381 of a point below spruce.

In the final scoring, after six months’ storage, none of the cubes
packed in seasoned, paraffined and parchment lined containers received
a cut directly due to wood flavor.

Green or unseasoned white fir, cottonwood or spruce, may impart a
slight wood flavor to the butter when packed in cubes, even though they
are paraffined and parchment lined. The butter stored in unseasoned
cubes scored an average of 0.218 of a point below the butter stored in
seasoned boxes with the same treatment. While the average difference
was very small, in some cases there was a decided wood flavor which was
pronounced enough to affect materially the flavor of the butter.

_Boxes paraffined but not parchment lined._—Unseasoned boxes of white
fir, cottonwood and spruce, paraffined but not parchment lined are not
entirely satisfactory for storing butter. The butter so stored was
criticized in practically all cases for wood flavor. Butter stored
in white fir boxes scored 0.358 of a point lower than that in spruce
boxes, while butter in cottonwood boxes scored 1.071 lower than that
in spruce. Storing butter in cubes without parchment lining or in
cubes carelessly lined with parchment will cause objectionable flavors
regardless of the wood.

_Boxes neither paraffined nor parchment lined._—Butter allowed to come
in direct contact with any of the three untreated woods will always
take up wood flavor. The injury to the flavor is about equal from all
three woods.


Sixty-Pound Boxes Packed for Market

White fir is as good as spruce for 60-pound boxes when seasoned and
parchment lined, the butter being wrapped in parchment only. Cottonwood
is not quite as satisfactory as either spruce or white fir, there being
some criticism on the flavor of the butter.

Butter can be shipped in seasoned white fir or cottonwood boxes, lined
with ordinary wrapping paper, if the butter is parchment wrapped and
cartoned. There is no advantage in using parchment paper to line the
box.

Since there was practically no trouble experienced in the unparaffined
boxes, there is no advantage in paraffining the inside of the box.

Since the completion of the investigational work, approximately 40,000
white fir boxes have been used with entire satisfaction for shipping
butter at the University Farm.




STATION PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION


BULLETINS

  No.

  253. Irrigation and Soil Conditions in the Sierra Nevada Foothills,
       California.

  261. Melaxuma of the Walnut, “Juglans regia.”

  262. Citrus Diseases of Florida and Cuba Compared with those of
       California.

  263. Size Grades for Ripe Olives.

  268. Growing and Grafting Olive Seedlings.

  270. A Comparison of Annual Cropping, Biennial Cropping, and Green
       Manures on the Yield of Wheat.

  273. Preliminary Report on Kearney Vineyard Experimental Drain.

  275. The Cultivation of Belladonna in California.

  276. The Pomegranate.

  277. Sudan Grass.

  278. Grain Sorghums.

  279. Irrigation of Rice in California.

  280. Irrigation of Alfalfa in the Sacramento Valley.

  283. The Olive Insects of California.

  285. The Milk Goat in California.

  286. Commercial Fertilizers.

  287. Vinegar from Waste Fruits.

  294. Bean Culture in California.

  298. Seedless Raisin Grapes.

  304. A Study of the Effects of Freezes on Citrus in California.

  308. I. Fumigation with Liquid Hydrocyanic Acid. II. Physical and
       Chemical Properties of Liquid Hydrocyanic Acid.

  312. Mariout Barley.

  317. Selections of Stocks in Citrus Propagation.

  319. Caprifigs and Caprification.

  321. Commercial Production of Grape Syrup.

  324. Storage of Perishable Fruit at Freezing Temperatures.

  325. Rice Irrigation Measurements and Experiments in Sacramento
       Valley, 1914-1919.

  328. Prune Growing in California.

  331. Phylloxera-Resistant Stocks.

  334. Preliminary Volume Tables for Second-Growth Redwoods.

  335. Cocoanut Meal as a Feed for Dairy Cows and Other Livestock.

  336. The Preparation of Nicotine Dust as an Insecticide.

  337. Some Factors of Dehydrater Efficiency.

  339. The Relative Cost of Making Logs from Small and Large Timber.

  341. Studies on Irrigation of Citrus Groves.

  343. Cheese Pests and Their Control.

  344. Cold Storage as an Aid to the Marketing of Plums.

  347. The Control of Red Spiders in Deciduous Orchards.

  348. Pruning Young Olive Trees.

  349. A Study of Sidedraft and Tractor Hitches.

  350. Agriculture in Cut-over Redwood Lands.

  351. California State Dairy Cow Competition.

  352. Further Experiments in Plum Pollination.

  353. Bovine Infectious Abortion.

  354. Results of Rice Experiments in 1922.

  355. The Peach Twig Borer.

  357. A Self-mixing Dusting Machine for Applying Dry Insecticides and
       Fungicides.

  358. Black Measles, Water Berries, and Related Vine Troubles.

  359. Fruit Beverage Investigations.

  360. Gum Diseases of Citrus Trees in California.

  361. Preliminary Volume Tables for Second Growth Redwood.

  362. Dust and the Tractor Engine.

  363. The Pruning of Citrus Trees in California.

  364. Fungicidal Dusts for the Control of Bunt.

  365. Avocado Culture in California.


CIRCULARS

  No.

  70. Observations on the Status of Corn Growing in California.

  82. The Common Ground Squirrel of California.

  87. Alfalfa.

  111. The Use of Lime and Gypsum on California Soils.

  113. Correspondence Courses in Agriculture.

  117. The Selection and Cost of a Small Pumping Plant.

  127. House Fumigation.

  136. _Melilotus indica_ as a Green-Manure Crop for California.

  144. Oidium or Powdery Mildew of the Vine.

  151. Feeding and Management of Hogs.

  152. Some Observations on the Bulk Handling of Grain in California.

  153. Announcement of the California State Dairy Cow Competition,
       1916-18.

  154. Irrigation Practice in Growing Small Fruit in California.

  155. Bovine Tuberculosis.

  157. Control of the Pear Scab.

  159. Agriculture in the Imperial Valley.

  160. Lettuce Growing in California.

  161. Potatoes in California.

  164. Small Fruit Culture in California.

  165. Fundamentals of Sugar Beet Culture under California Conditions.

  166. The County Farm Bureau.

  167. Feeding Stuffs of Minor Importance.

  170. Fertilizing California Soils for the 1918 Crop.

  172. Wheat Culture.

  173. The Construction of the Wood-Hoop Silo.

  174. Farm Drainage Methods.

  175. Progress Report on the Marketing and Distribution of Milk.

  178. The Packing of Apples in California.

  179. Factors of Importance in Producing Milk of Low Bacterial Count.

  182. Extending the Area of Irrigated Wheat in California for 1918.

  184. A Flock of Sheep on the Farm.

  188. Lambing Sheds.

  190. Agriculture Clubs in California.

  193. A Study of Farm Labor in California.

  198. Syrup from Sweet Sorghum.

  199. Onion Growing in California.

  201. Helpful Hints to Hog Raisers.

  202. County Organizations for Rural Fire Control.

  203. Peat as a Manure Substitute.

  205. Blackleg.

  206. Jack Cheese.

  208. Summary of the Annual Reports of the Farm Advisors of California.

  209. The Function of the Farm Bureau.

  210. Suggestions to the Settler in California.

  212. Salvaging Rain-Damaged Prunes.

  214. Seed Treatment for the Prevention of Cereal Smuts.

  215. Feeding Dairy Cows in California.

  217. Methods for Marketing Vegetables in California.

  218. Advanced Registry Testing of Dairy Cows.

  219. The Present Status of Alkali.

  224. Control of the Brown Apricot Scale and the Italian Pear Scale on
       Deciduous Fruit Trees.

  228. Vineyard Irrigation in Arid Climates.

  230. Testing Milk, Cream, and Skim Milk for Butterfat.

  232. Harvesting and Handling California Cherries for Eastern Shipment.

  233. Artificial Incubation.

  234. Winter Injury to Young Walnut Trees during 1921-22.

  235. Soil Analysis and Soil and Plant Interrelations.

  236. The Common Hawks and Owls of California from the Standpoint of
       the Rancher.

  237. Directions for the Tanning and Dressing of Furs.

  238. The Apricot in California.

  239. Harvesting and Handling Apricots and Plums for Eastern Shipment.

  240. Harvesting and Handling Pears for Eastern Shipment.

  241. Harvesting and Handling Peaches for Eastern Shipment.

  242. Poultry Feeding.

  244. Central Wire Bracing for Fruit Trees.

  245. Vine Pruning Systems.

  247. Colonization and Rural Development.

  248. Some Common Errors in Vine Pruning and Their Remedies.

  249. Replacing Missing Vines.

  250. Measurement of Irrigation Water on the Farm.

  251. Recommendations Concerning the Common Diseases and Parasites of
       Poultry in California.

  252. Supports for Vines.

  253. Vineyard Plans.

  254. The Use of Artificial Light to Increase Winter Egg Production.

  255. Leguminous Plants as Organic Fertilizer in California
       Agriculture.

  256. The Control of Wild Morning Glory.

  257. The Small-Seeded Horse Bean.

  258. Thinning Deciduous Fruits.

  259. Pear By-products.

  260. A Selected List of References Relating to Irrigation in
       California.

  261. Sewing Grain Sacks.

  263. Tomato Production in California.




Transcriber’s notes:

In the text version, italics are represented by _underscores_, and bold
text by =equals= symbols.

The bulletins and circulars sections have been expanded from 2 columns
in small font to a single column to allow them to be more easily read.

The single occurrence of paraffine has been changed to paraffin for
consistency with general use in the text.