I've usually seen them put into a ziplock bag with the jelly and then sort of mashed around.
To me, pre-prepared stuff like the cotton balls are handy for hiking or camping or whatever, but not really a true practice of survival skills. Making fire with stuff you find in the woods is a lot more of a survival skill. I also suck at it. A lot.
I find petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls all over the woods when I'm out there - you just have to know how to spot them in the wild. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
