Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-02-23
DaiIu Kennebrr Journal.
The Rutterine Question.

The Butterine Question.
Hon. Joseph Sampson of Storm Lake,
Iowa, took a prominent part in the discus
sion on butterine, at the late Chicago con-
vention. and gives his impression OF the
matter in an interesting letter to the Sioux
City, Ia, Daily Journal, from which we
make the following extracts -
How BUrTERINE is MADE.
So far as was able to learn from the
discussions of chemists. experts and 9TH
ers. and also from personal investigation
of one butterine factory, find there are
five different grades made. The first
grade or finest quality, contains Az per
cent of best creamery butter, 30 per cent
deodorized lard, and the other ten per
cent is made up of stearine or tallow Oil,
with colorings and chemicals to give
fine butter taste and aroma to the com
pound The next grade to this contains
30 per cent of fine butter, and the third
grade contains 20 per cent fine butter.
The fourth grade contains about 40 per
cent of ordinary dairy butter, and the re,
mainder lard and stearine, chemicals and
coloring. The fifth grade contains about
% per cent of dairy butter, the
remainder being lard, etc. The cost
of the ingredients of this butterine may be
reckoned about as follows: 40 pounds
fine creamery butter. % cents per pound,
SO; 80 pounds Leaf lard, 6 cents per
pound, 50; pounds stearine, cents per
pound, 40 cents; labor, salt and sundrles,
81 .6O. Total cost of 100 pounds, say SIS,
or 10 cents per pound average cost. Sold
by manufacturer at 20 cents per pound,
gives him a profit of 5 cents on every
pound made; and retailed by the grocer
at 20 cents per pound, gives him profit
of s. on every 100 pounds sold. The
other grades are scaled in about the same
proportions, the lowest priced article OF
butter being IL cents per pound.
THE QUANTITY MADE.
In one factory which | visited | found
that the owner had been obliged to change
his engine three times during the present
year, with view to increasing capacity
tor greater production OF his ''fine cream.
cry butter" At first ne only had a capa.
city of 10000 pounds per day, he stated
TO me, but now, he said, with a self~satis
fed air, 81 can make 80, 900 pounds day
and if had orders enough 1 could make
more, by running night and day.
accompanied him into his refrigerator
and shipping room and saw the 'butter'
ready for shipment in all sorts of pack
ages, ranging from the five pound box fol
select family use, up to the Sc pound tub
designed for the pineries of Wisconsin
and the mining camps of Colorado anC
Montana. "How do you brand ftp"
asked him. "Oh." was the reply, "any
thing man pleases. Anything we arr
asked to put on, we put Oh to suit thu
fancy of the customer" When wanted
to see the lard hashing machines in tn
upper rooms of his factory, he smiled ant
shrugged his shoulders, and declined t
accompany me to the place where the lar
was getting its initiatory baptism of chem
icals.
| How BUTTERINE is SOLD.
| All manufacturers of butterine wer
very frank in discussing the morality an
honesty of their business. They mad
the imitation article, they said, in order t.
sell it, and, as a matter of course, the
had to put it up in the same sort of pack
age as belonged additionally to the dairy
men and the farmers. and as to calm.
their product dairy butter or creamer,
butter, as well as using the time .honoret
packages in which the genuine butter wa
found they said very frankly, that so far a
they could see, no man or class of men hat
any monopoly OF the English language, O
of ordinary packages. Following tn,
matter up very closely, some OF them ad
mitted that when butter lett their factories
and warehouses; it lost its identity, and i
was sold by retail grocers for first-clas
creamery butter.
In some cases grocers would buy ranciC
country butter and keep a stock on hanC
to serve as foil for the imitation goods
1t would be used in the following way b,
some who are adopts in making sales Tn,
person asking about this stuff, called but
terine, would be shown some of the rancid
cheap, store-packed butter, and told tina
this was that dreadful butterine, abou
which they heard so much. "Smell it
and see how badly it SMELL" would bt
said; 4" but now taste this and so SOME
of the imitation goods would quickly bt
disposed of. This was told me by a prom
inent manufacture in Chicago. who said i
was trick of the trade in helping to worl
up sales.