The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-02-27
SOME REASONS
Why We May Lose Our Markets for Cheese.
What the New York Tribune has To say
on the "Filled Cheese" Question.

this perniciOus blot upon American COM
merce. 1t is shameful that the pointed
discussion Of this matter had to be set by
our customers abroad. The Tribune,
with other reputable journals, has fire.
quently alluded to the damaging and
dishonest attitude of "illed cheese"
The British Home and Foreign Exchange
of London, with cOmmendable candOr,
admits that all of this impure cheese is
not attributable to the United States, but
that the chief fault is its introduction in
wholesale quantities by this country and
their own, and other countries have i'm
itated the gross imposition.
The United States department Of agri-
culture gives tlis4eply to a letter from
the chairman Of the cheese committee,
New York Produce Exchange:
U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Feb'y IL, 1895.
"Mr. John Gledhill, chairman cheese
committee, N. Y. Produce Exchange:
Sir: have the honor to acknowledge
your communication of the 9TH inst,
and inclOsing copies of circulars received
by your body from the Home and Foreign
Produce Exchange Qimited), London.
| have given the substance of the
same to the press, and trust that the sub
ject may be thoroughly ventilated. The
Importance of establishing and main
tanning a reputation of the utmost in
tegrity for our American food products
can alone save the markets to us for our
surplus production in the face of the
constantly increasing and intelligent
competition from other surplus-prOduc-
ing countries.
am pleased, therefore, to note your
expressed sympathy with any action that
will tend to suppress the manufacture of
adulterated or imitation filled cheese.
Respectfully,
]. STERLING MORTON, Secy."
David Muir, an old and prominent eX-
porter Of this city says:-"Ihe filled
cheese question has assumed long-defer-
red importance within month or two,
and letters from abroad show that the
authorities intend to be more particular
about our food products than ever before.
Statistics show that this trade has revert
ed to Canada, not because the home gov
ernment wants to foster its colonies, but
by reason of the guarantee Of purity
which goes with the goods.
There should be some general action
taken in this matter to stop practice
which threatens to ruin profitable in
dustry. II not alone hurts us abroad, but
right here in the United States we find
the southern markets gorged with filled
cheese. The southern buyer will pay as
high as 1019c. pound for this stuff
when he can get the genuine cheese for
the same price. 1t costs about 415@5c.
to manufacture pound of filled cheese,
and your can readily see why the busi-
ness is carried on to such an extent"
John j. Walton, of Hunter, Walton &
Co., No. 1854 Chambers-st., said to a
Tribune reporter:
This filled cheese business has in
jured our exports very seriously. The
cheese is such an exact imitation Of the
better grades of genuine cheese that it is
almost impossible to tell the difference,
yet it can be manufactured for less than
One-half of the price of the genuine art
icle. Filled cheese is made from
SKINNED milk Tor that which is general
ly thrown away after butter has been
taken from it), mixed with neutral or
lard. Our cheese costs anywhere from
10 to IL cents pound, while filled
cheese can be made for almost any price
and with a profit. The filled cheese is
almost entirely in Wisconsin and north
ern Illinois by the large creamery fac
tories, which utilize the comparatively
yalueless SKINNED milk in this way and
turn it to great profit. Although it is
against the law to sell filled cheese in
this state, there is nothing to prevent
its being shipped from the west and
carried through New York on bill of
lading and sent to Europe. The great
masses of the British population know 50
little about the geography Of the west
ern hemisphere that it isalmOst useless to
explain this to them. 1t is sufficient fOr
them to knew that 1t comes from Ameri-
ca or Canada, and as several Of their
cheese dealers have been heavily fined
for selling filled cheese they immediate
ly jumped to the conclusion that all
American cheese is Of this adulterated
character"
John Orpe, Of No. 167 Chambers-st., q
large cheese exporter, said:
ut is most unfortunate that this 'fillet
cheese manufacture has sprung up a
this time. 1t should be prohibited b.
law altogether or the manufacturer
should be compelled to brand each chees,
80 that the consumer may know exactl!
what he is getting. Filled cheese ma.
: not be so Objectionable to some people
: but the British public are great Stickler
: for getting the genuine article, and tn
instant they know that thing is adul
terated they will have nothing more t
do with IL. no matter how carefully VOL