Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-23

The articles go in as the things we don't
specify by name at the top, and come out as
creamery butter below.
The picture Goes not very greatly ~exaggerate
the nature of the fraud which is now robbing
the farmers of the country of their legiti-
mate rewards, and running some Of them
downright. If the vile product continues to
be sold as butter, one creamery after another
will be broken up the country over. Those who
adulterate the food of a nation are murder
ers. The utmost vengeance of the law ought
to be visited on them.
These fraudulent butter manufacturers are
growing rich. They have a lobby, even in
the United States congress, to look after
their nefarious industry. Shameless CON
gressmen themselves are drummers for hog
butter. Not long since it was said that q
certain congressman had a very handsome
suite of rooms fitted up. A sideboard was
covered with rare wines and liquors. lie in
vited his acquaintance, especially strangers
from outside Of Washington, to a sort Of free
lunch. They were given their fill of drinks,
and then they were asked to partake of bis
cult and bu' ter. Marvels of snowy biscuit
were spread with something cut from what
seemed to be a most appeti2ing block of but
ter. 1t looked lovely and tasted good. After
they had eaten it the invited guests were told
it vas oleomargarine, which may or may not
have been true.
Now, a congressman who would do the like
of that ought to be drummed out of the
country.
When the stuff was first made it was, at
least, honest beef suet. But the wretches who
concoct it have cheapened even that. The
next step was the use of hogs lard. 1t is
now declared to lie a fact that they try out
the fat of the dead soap factory hogs and use
that for the base of the compound. Fusel
oil, soda ash, cotton seed oil, corn starch,
"caul and kidney beef Suet,' cows udders,
ground slippery elm bark, glycerine, s%tearine
and ge,atine made fl ION horses and cows
hoofs are some of the articles that 60 into the
manufacture of hog butter. The list is
taken from the Tatent office at Washington,
where the materials are registered. TIC
purify the mass it is treated with nitric acid.
Nitric acid is a substance that would burn
its way through anybody's hand if a drop
should fall upon The back. That is what
it is.
The board of agriculture Of Illinois gave a
slap in the face to the farmers of the whole
country by permitting an oleomargarine ex-
hibit at the fat stock show in Chicago. 1t
was nothing less than an insult.
1t would hardly be the square thing to say
these fellows should not make hog butter.
but they should be forced to label it what il
is, and then grocers would be ashamed to sell
it. Many million pounds were made last
year.
Meantime farmers must band together, ,as
the labor organizations do, and boycott the
makers of and dealers in the stuff, if they
want to protect themselves. At the same
time, they must learn to make their butter SC
perfect that nobody can fail to distinguish il
from the hog butter.
A microscopic analysis of the oleomarga.
rine has shown it often to contain reaches
legs and wings, dirt and unspeakable abomi
nations. One thing, however, its manufac
ture may do. 1t may stimulate our farm
people to establish creameries and improve
their methods so greatly that We shall have 6
revolution in butter making. Then this dairy
productwill be as good as that Of France
and Holland, and a great step forward viii
have been made.
Should this prove the case, then the Ameri
can hog butter experience will not have beer
an unmixed evil.