The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-01-17
manitouof pilot.
THURSDAY. JANUARY II, 1884.
OleOmargarine,

The vast host of admirers of genuine
butter-good, old country butter, which
Mahometan tradition says was one of
the fruits upon the Tree of Life in the
Garden of Eden-will have cause for
rejoicing in the closing of one of the
four oleomargarine factories in Phila-
delphia, and the Oldest and largest fac
tory of them all. The remaining
factories are small concerns and have
not in the aggregate the capacity of
the one whose operations have been
thus indefinitely suspended.
The ostensible cause of the shut down
was scarcity of beef fat. In reality,
though, a fixed disinclination upon
the part of Philadelphians to eat the so
called substitute for butter seems to
have been at the bottom of the trouble
This, it was urged, was not surprising,
in view of the fact that in no other sec
ton of the country, or of the world, for
that matter, is really good butter
fresh, fragrant, rich, well churned-so
abundant and so cheap. Within ra-
dius of thirty miles of the city, there
are over three thousand dairymen
and farmers whose chief source of rev.
enue is butter making and whose
churning is acknowledged by all to be
unequalled. With oleomargarine at
twenty-five or thirty-fve cents pound,
the laboring classes, for whom espec-
tally was the beef-butter designed,
steadily and unanimously refused to
use it. From the beginning the factory
was driven to foreign markets, and the
scarcity of fat was but one item among
the many causes which led to its clos
ing up.
1t was established in 1877 by party
of New York capitalists, who bought
the right of manufacture in the United
States from Mali, the Frenchman who
was the original patentee of the prepa-
ration. Imagining that they possessed
a monopoly, the company built large
works and went to great expense in
equipping the plant. 1t is reliably
stated that $3.50, 900 was expended in
the purchase of machinery alone. The
oleomargarine was made upon an inn
proved plan. The only fats used were
what is called the caul and entrail fats.
The fat was first washed clean, and
then ground after the manner of sau-
sage, in huge knives constructed espec-
Tally for that purpose. After being
ground up to the consistency of mince
meat, the fat was melted at low tenn
perature. The oil was then extracted
by means of hydraulic presses. This
oil was pressed finally through heavy
cloths, and then churned. With the oil
when churned was mixed about an
equal quantity of cream. The oleo-
margarine was packed for market in
large tubs, sometimes in ordinary
prints, but mostly in bulk. 1t was ex-
ported to Europe, the West Indies, Mex
leo, and vast quantities were sent
through the Southern States, where it
gained favor because it would not be-
come rancid. A very small quantity
was sold to retail dealers in this city.
The average cost of the fat in the
crude was eight cents per pound. The
| entire cost of manufacture, including
the churning, added but five cents per
pound to this figure, and at eighteen
cents pound the product was sold at
| large profit. A pound of fat was
made to yield thirty per cent. of oil.
The residue was converted into stearine
and tallow. Although the capacity of
the factory was 500, 600 pounds week,
from thirty to forty hands being en-
ployed, the actual production averaged
| only $4,000 pounds. - Philadelphia
Press