The Russellville Democrat., 1884-03-13
How Butter May Compete with Oleo.
margarine.

The question of supplying the do
mand of the country for good, pure but
ter is certainly one worth the attention
of every farmer and buttermaker in the
land. Dairymen and all classes OF but
tcr-producers may continue to rail
against butterine, oleomargarine, or
any of the compounds which are manu-
featured and sold in lieu of genuine
butter, but with no avail until they
come squarely into competition with
the manufacturers of these compounds
by making and putting into the mar
kets superior article. Oleomargar.ne
finds ready sale, more because it Is
really better as an article of food--and
Heaven knows it is bad enough-than
three-fourths of the so-called country
butter. The amount of butter OF this
latter class, and which is made by
farmers, outside of regular dairy-farms,
is enormous. The final market for the
greater part of this Is the large cities.
An examination into the treatment it is
subjected to, through its various stages
of production, and until it reaches the
table of the city consumer, often hun
dreds of miles away from the point Of
manufacture, may throw some light on
the question why it pays to manufac-
ture oleomargarine. First, from the
farm it goes to the country stores,
where, as a rule, good, bad and indif-
ferent are dumped promiscuously into,
sometimes tubs, but often old shoe
boxes; and at any rate, whatever may
be the receptacle, it is too frequently
sinking and rancid to that degree that
good butter put therein is no longer good.
Herein lies great evil The country
dealer seldom thinks of grading his but.
ter. He generally pays the same price
for whatever comes in on the same day,
regardless of whether it is good or bad.
When bought it. as stated. all goes to-
gether TO assist the accumulation of a
sufficient quantity for shipment. During
this time it is not infrequently kept in a
cellar, poorly ventilated, and reeking
with poisonous gases escaping from
decaying vegetables, which are seldom
absent in the average country store
keepers cellar. Is it any wonder that
city people, as rule, have not very
good opinion of what is often sold as
fresh country butter!"
1t is doubtless true that not more than
one-half the farmers know how to make
good butter. 1t is also true that it is
just as easy for one to make good butter
as for another. Indifference and indo-
lence have as much to do with it in
many instances as have any other
causes.
If the country dealers would strictly
grade every pound of butter handled.
and adopt scale of prices according;
if they would not hesitate to tell Mrs A
that her butter, because of its inferior
quality, was worth only half as much as
Mrs BIS, who makes a tirst-class article,
the chances are Mrs. A would go home
and begin in earnest to learn how to
make butter equal to the best.
A general adoption of this system Of
grading by the dealers all over the
country would doubtless do more to
raise the standard of excellence OF
country" butter than any other one
thing. But until something is done in
this direction, and looking to the ac
compiishment of so desirable result, it
is idle to raise TRADE of abuse against
butterine and oleomargarine. 1t may
not be palatable truth, but it may as
well be stated that the farmers and but
greatly assisting these manufacturers
to get rich by simply giving them a
field practically clear from opposition.
This is not question of legislation, but
one of supply and demand, and one in
which the amount of the latter depends
upon the quality of the former If the
producers of butter can make a good
article, one in every way superior to any
of the compounds now on the market,
butter will win the day and oleomarga-
rine be retired from the position OF an
important factor in the probleml In a
nutshell the question fairly stated is this:
Between good butter and good cleo
margarine the consumer win take the
former every time; but as between a
good article of the latter and villain
Gus article of the former, it can easily
be seen where the preference would
fall. Y. Tribune.