Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-05-14
How to Detect Bogus Butter.
From the Philadelphia Record

Dr. Chas. M. Cresson, the well-known
scientist, says there are many vegetable
matters which are harmless that could
be used in tinting oleomargarine, butter
inc. and suine, so as to be able to dis
tingulsh them from genuine butter, He
mentioned that the coloring matter de-
rived from alkanet root was entirely
harmless, and if used in coIoring arti-
fetal butter, in the same degree as an
natto is used to color genuine butter,
would give it delicate pink hue.
Water Street commission men generally
favor some method to distinguish the
''bogus" from the good.
Three-fourths of the butter sold in
Philadelphia at present is artificial.
Some of the stuff is only one-half but
ter, the remainder being common lard.
In many cases the composition is simply
beef fat, chemically treated, with no
more genuine butter in it than is con-
tanned in axle-grease. ''The way in
which oleomargarine, butterine, and all
the artificial buffers are solo," said
President Macdonald, of the National
Butter, Cheese and~ Egg Association,
yesterday, sis an outrage upon the con-
sumers and the dairy interests of the
country. The limitations are sold to the
butter dealers and grocers at from Is to
% cents per pound, and they buy,
knowing exactly what it is. Their Gus
toners are not SO fortunate. 1 do not
know of a retail dealer in the city who
does not sell the artificial article as
the genuine product of the
COW. What effect would it have to
compel the manufacturers to distin-
guish the artificial from the genuine, by
making the former of pink color?
Why, it would simply kill the business.
Who would buy pink butter? Not even
the boldest borading- keeper. IL is
ridiculous to talk about butterine keep
ing down the price of good butter. The
bogus is foisted upon the consumer at
twice its value, and, in addition
the buyer is deceived as to
the stuff purchased. PhilandeI-
phia housewives have always been pref
udiced in favor of print rolls. That
makes this city good field for the ar
tiicial article, which is printed nicely.
A majority of it comes from Chicago,
although New York furnishes a fair
supply. If Gov. Cleveland signs
the bill now in his hands, prohibiting
the sale of imitation butter, the indus
try will be killed in that state" Presi-
dent Macdonald suggested that il
would be an excellent thing for butter
buyers to askthe seller if the butter
was genuine. If the answer was Civ
en- in hesitating way the customer
should not buy. In short time he
thought the dealer would be brought
to realizing sense of the fact that he
was swindling his patrons.
A visit to several butter commission
houses on Water Street developed the
information that to change the color of
the artificial article would result in a
death-blow to the manufacture. One of
the largest dealers sGid that if it we're
tinted differently he would rescind all
his standing orders. He would not
have a pound of pink oleomargarme,
butterine, or suine Ia his place only at
the manufacturers risk. Almost rs
per cent. of his sales consist of the but
terines. Thousands of families are sup
piled with fancy rolls of apparently
fresh butter, for which they pay big
prices, under the impression that it is
the genuine article. Three families
out of four do not get what they expect,
and none are the wiser for the expert
ence. The big profits in selling butter
inc and like compounds are tempta-
ton to every groceryman, and he sac
rifices his honesty to make money.