National Republican., 1884-04-07
ADULTERATED BUTTER.
The Tests Made by the District Chemist for
0leOmargarine
Thrce-fifths OF the Samples furnished
Have No Butter Whatever

"ro earn ones bread and butter" has been
for many generations past phrase repre-
senting tho patient industry which provides
for ones material wants. Such has been the
development of civilization, however in the
last few years that tho phrase is not now
correct 1t has become figure of speech, and
figure so practical, so visionary, as to have
nc substantial meaning. Butter is fast be.
coming thing Of tho pasta school boys
tale, the phantom of au hour Nowadays
ono must earn his bread and oleomargarine.
1t is not now the butter2d, but tho steamed,
side of the cake that always falls on the floor,
Tho land, indeed, may still overflow with
milk and honey, but IL is not the meck-eyed
cow that furnish y tho butter; it Is the curled-
tailed hog and tho bclo mill.
While these reflections pass through the
poetic mind, which judges of all from one,
and hastily arrives at sweeping conclusions,
the practical men of business and the
scientists sit down aud carefully investigate
the facts ere pronouucing Judgment. Aud
tho truth Is, that whilo an immense amount
Of olcostearinc, commonly called oleomarga-
rine, is sold in tho markets for butter, with
othor frauds even more nauseons and un-
healthy, there Is vet n considerable quantity
Washington. IL is not altogether fair to
estimate the quantity by tho samples ana
lyzed by the district chemist, and yet from
the fifty-three samples examined and proved
up to noon Saturday, taken ut random, the
conclusion is inevitable that in this one
article adulteration has been carried on
grossly.
Prof dc Smedt began his work of analysis
on March go. Spe eimens of butter and alleged
butter were furnished him by the health
Office, which obtained them from the dealers
named. All the stuff, except where it is
specially mentioned otherwise in the follow
ing, wassold as butter:
Sample No. 1, from Pearson Bros, was
butter. Sample No. 2, from the same, was
butter.
Samples and 4, from d. Daily, were
butter. Sample No. g. from tho same, was
found to be butterine
From Spicer & Compton, sample No. was
butterine; No. was butter, and No. 8, called
and sold as butterine, was found to be but
terine.
George NJ. Oyater furnished samples 0, 10,
and IL, oil of which were good butter.
N. G. Coburn furnished samples IL and 13,
which were likewise butter.
From Pearson Brothers came sample No.
IA which was butter, and 10 which was but
torne.
Sample 16 came from Gleason, country
man, and purported to be country butter.
1t was butterne.
Charles Graft furnished samples II and IS,
both of which were butterine
No 10 came from Il. T.. Golden and was
found to be fine butterine.
q. Steadman furnished Nos 90 and 81, sold
for New York creamery, but was in reality
fine buttorine. No. % came from G. Stead
man and was butter, but very inferior quail
ity.
No. 90 was obtained from countryman.
1t was found to be butter.
No. "a came from David Jackson, and was
butterine.
Frank X. Ward supplied sample %, which
was butter.
Peterson furnished No. 26, a countryman
No. 81, and Browning No. 2S. All proved to
bo what they were presented-butter.
Sample 90 came from Pumphrey, in Ana
costa, and was butterine. Brashears, of tho
same place, furnished No. 80, which was oleo-
margarine. No. 81, from Gray e. Robey, also
of Anacostia, was butterine. Nos. 80 md 90,
from Pvles, of the same place, were butter,
/. ]. Clarke furnished Nos. "a and 80, both
of which were oleomargarine.
w. Gregory furnished No. SO, desg-
mated as butterine, and found to be SUCH
G. Wright gave No. 81, which was butterine,
and No. SO sold for cooking butter" and
found to be compound Of butter and cocoa
nut oil.
No. 80 came from p. G. Gardner. 1t was
called "packed butrr," but was butterine.
No. 40 came from the same firm. 1t was
called roll butter, and found to be butter.
Nos. al and AZ were furnished by J. w.
Arnold They were called roll butter, but
proved to be fine butterine.
No. 43 came from George II. Gaddes. 1t
was fine butterino. No. A, from the same
firm, was called limitation of creamery
and proved to be butterine.
No. 45 came from George N. Randy and
was butterine. No. 49, from the same firm,
and, though calltd creamery, was fine but
terine.
No. Az from Roder & Kingman, was called
creamery, but was butterine. No. 48, from
the same firm, was called mill butter, but was
butterine.
No. 40. from VIM. Hughes, was butter.
No. 80, furnished by John Weidemsn was
fine butterine.
No. 81 came from J. NJ Eiker. It was
called roll butter, and was what it purported
to be. No. SO, from the same firm, was called
roll butter but was buttorino. No. 53 from
the same firm. was called creamery, and
analysis proved it to be good butter.
Thus, it will be seen, that out of fifty-three
samples sent by thirty firms only twenty-o one
samples were butter Most of the stuff was
butterine. Tho latter is composed of lard sub
ject to heat. The lard is first melted and
then cooled quickly. 1t is then thrown into
Il filterer, and that part Of the oleine that will
of margarine, is taken and mixed with butter.
This mixture constitutes butterne. Marga-
rine is one Of the constituents of lard. Lard
retails in Washington for 12b to Ii cents o
pound. Butter from 30 to so cents pound.
To sell lard for butter and get butter prices
for it is reaping large profit. The action of
heat upon lard makes the latter injurious for
eating.
The firms mentioned above, all of whose
samples were pure and good butter-Messrs.
George NJ. Oyster, Pearson Brothers, III. &.
Coburn, w. Hughes, +. X Ward, Peterson,
Browning, Pyles Of Anaoostia, and two coun-
trymen. Some other dealers mentioned
above, out Of several samples, furnished one
or more that was butter.
More than three-h hfths of the samples, how
ever, designated as butter were compound,
cheaply made and injurious to health, and
not butter Mt all.
The test for ascertaining whether an article
is buttor or a fraudulent imitation is simple,
and is done by means of a microscope But
ter has no crystals; lard, butterine, and oleo-
margarine have. Under u magnifying glass
of sufficient power piece Of pure butter
shows a glObular field, absolutely without
crystals, Lard exhibits beautiful spectacle
Of crystalized forms, aud Oleomargarino gives
crystals differing greatly from those OF lard
A Pleasant Whist Party.
A pleasant party of ladies aud gentlemen