Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-11
LARD,
Nice Reading For Housewives and Those
Fond of Pastry.

Nice Reading For Housewives and Thos.
Fond of Pastry.
WASHINGTON, February 8.-The inquiry
with regard to lard and its compounds
by the Senate Committee on Agricultur,
was continued to-day and interested par
ties to the number OF twenty-five to thirt,
comprising manufacturers, attorneys anc
experts we're present. Samples OF various
compounds in tin pals were produced
which had been purchased in open market
and chemically examined by Professor
Sharpless OF Boston, who testified that
the sample bearing the stamp Armour
Co., pure refined family lard." was found
to contain about 60 per cent. hogs lard
with 20 each of cotton seed oil. and bee
fst. The sample, "Fairbanks & Co.'S
Prime refined family lard" was made OF the
same elements but had greater proper.
tions Of beef fat and cotton seed oil. The
sample bearing the stamp Halstead & Co.,
''Pure family lard; and another from the
same firm stamped'in Spanish "Pure lard
ETC., contained so far as tests
have been carried, not a particle of hog
lard but were made entirely Of beef fat and
cotton seed oil. With regard to cotton
seed oil he said it's healthfulness as an
article OF diet was still mooted question
and was not matter for chemists but for
medical men to decide.
THE HISTORY OF IT.
Fairbanks of Chicago, described the his
tory of the modern lard product. Twenty
five years ago lard oil was pressed from the
hog product, leaving stearine. a hard waxy
substance. for which there was little de-
mand. Then a firm in New York conceived
The brilliant idea OF mixing ktearine
with ordinary lard and formed COM
pound which gave better satisfaction
in warm countries than pure
lard. Then, as time wore on, packing houses
in making lard got to dumping into the
pans everyt .ing-heads. feet, etc, and
made product which was offensive, hav-
ing. as the witness truly said, a 'hoggy
taste.' AT this juncture. retiners cast
about for something tn neutraIize this and
found it in cotton seed. Out of hundred
tierces of packers lard, refners got about
,ne tierce OF
MUD AND FILTH
as black as your hat). To the refined
product they now added 25 per cent. of
cotton seed oil and 1 5 per cent. OF stearine
Which compound comprises seven- ighths
IF the lard now on the market. Once or
wice when the compound ran short pure
ard had been supplied to customers and
he retiners were overwhelmed at once with
that the consumers were dis
"a tsfied. The trouble with Squire, witness
aid, arose from the fact that witness
irm had secured a large part of Squre's
rade especially in New England, and that
entleman had agitated the passage OF the
ill because small meaters would not take
,ut license to sell the compound as re-
!uired by the bill, and as no license would
,e required to sell pure
HOG FAT LARD,
hey would resume the purchase OF lard
manufactured by Squires. The demand
or legislation did not come from the peo-
lie. The constantly increasing sales OF lard
made by the witness firm proved that the
ublic wanted their lard. When asked why
e did not label it az compound lard, he
aid the American people were not educated
p to the use OF oils yet. He Objected to
eing compelled to change the brand RE
ned Lard" because that label was part OF
is stock in trade. The hearing will be con-
inued tomorrow.