Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-08-08
A9ritnltnral department.
THE PROS AND CONS OF
OLEOMARGARINE.

Written by Levi stOckbridge, President of the AM
herst Agricultural College, for the Weekly Repub
can.]
The recent discussions of the subject
of the manufacture, sale and consump-
ton of oleomargarine, by legislative as
sembles and public journals, have elici-
ted very contradictory views respecting
the quality of the article, the methods
of placing it Oh the market, and the eff
feet of its common use on the health of
consumers and the butter-producing in
terest. One party asserts that it is
product of the vilest refuse of our abat-
toirs, that in the retail trade at least it
is always sold as butter, that it is
deleterious article of food, that in gen.
eral appearance it is so nearly like but
ter it will drive that article from the
market and inf1ict permanent injury
on the dairy interest. On the other
hand we are asked to believe that these |
statements are utterly false, that oleo-
margarine is made from as clean and
wholesome material as butter in estab-
lishments scrupulously pure, and where
all the details of the manufacture are
as open to public or private inspection
as in the butter dairy. That so far as
the manufacturers and wholesalers are
concerned, it is placed on the market
under its proper name, for which there
is no occasion for concealment. and if
fraud exists anywhere in relation to it,
it is in the same quarter, and to no
greater extent, than in very many food
articles found in our provision stores, or
on the tables of large part of our citi-
zens. 1t is quite probable that these
statements of the contestants are extraV-
agant. and colored by partisan bias and
supposed pecuniary interests; that nei-
ther is entirely right nor wrong.
In this country at least, for few
years after its manufacture and intro
duction to the market commenced, it
was. enveloped in secrecy and passed
under false colors. But at the present
time, SO far as the manufacture is con-
cerned, there is no occasion for, or at
tempt at concealment. The oleomarga.
rine factory is as open to the public as
the cotton factory, the associate cream
cry, and more so than the private dai
RIGS where most of our butter is made
Such complete details of all the minut,
processes of manufacture have been 81
often published, that it is only necessa
ry to allude to them here. The crud
material from which it is made is bee
fat or tallow, and that not of the Who'll
carcase, but selected parts which cor
tain the largest per cent of oil. Tallo'
consists principally of cellular tissue
stearine and oil. By heat and gent
pressure the oil is taken out, leavin
behind the stearine, the crude amin;
fiber, and all substances liable to d
composition by exposure to the al
The oil thus expressed is pure and lin
pid. and neutral, or nearly so, so far
taste or oder are concerned. After Sc
aration, it is mixed with pure b
slightly soured milk, and churned
the same manner as cream in the pr
ductiOn of butter. Churning with mi
imparts to the tasteless oil the flavor
butter, and it is brought into conditi
for sailing, working into pots, or DO
ing, by cooling on ice, and will not
turn to its oily liquid state at ordina
temperatures. The original arti,
(beef tallow) which is the best a
most profitable for this manufactu
is not a "vile" or 'refuse" material, /
Is In every respect as clean aud who
some an article as the other parts of I
animal with which it goes to the m
ket or the tables of consumers. I
heating. pressing, and straining proce
which separates the oil from other S,
stances in the tallow that readily O
die and become Objectionable, is one
publication and not of contaminati
and prevents its becoming rancid
long keeping, like butter. A prod
from such a source. and by such a 2
cess, cannot be an injurious article
food.
1t will be said, that unsuitable M;
rial Is, or may be used in the msnut
ture, and it may be adulterated. T
1t may, and SO may majority of
food articles, our clothing may be sh
dy, gold and silver coin counterfeit,
but the true and genuine are still va
BILE and will be sought after. If, b
ever we contrast the systematic,
torm' nice scientific methods, the
versal order and cleanliness of on
our modern oleomargarine factorle
all Its appointments and applian
with the COWS, the stables, barns,
mixers. their methods and utensils,
dalry-room and Its surroundings, o
average butter dairy, the latter il
spect to purity and wholesomeness
fers by the comparison, and the
clate creamery and "gilt-edged' b,
establishment would gain notl