Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-17
SOUTHERN PRODUCTS.
Cotton Seed Oil and It's Offspring,
COttOlene.

In a previous issue of the Cultivator
called att ention to some agricultural inter
ests the south should encourage and in the
course Of the article remarked that cotton
| is almost the only resource the south relies
upon for money" This statement compre.
bends cotten In all Its wealth-producins
power. There are many industries growing
out Of this standard southern product
It Is especially my purpose in this article
| to call attention to the food properties OF
the cotton seed. From ton of cotton seed
| there are forty gallons of cotton seed oil
procured. From cotton seed oil cottolene
now recognized as staple article Of food
Is made. The ingredients of which cotto-
lene is composed are cotton seed oil and
pressed beef suet The propo rtion, I am
| told, is abolt four-fifths cotton seed oil and
one-fifth beef suet. 1t is the one southern
product which is destined to be used gen
orally throughout the civilized world as a
shortening and frying medium
1t is to our interest to promote the use OF
cottolene, as every dollar spent on that
product leaves SO much more money in the
south. It is not only substitute for lard.
but it is to be preferred. We all know that
a vegetable oil must be healthier and purer
than animal fat; there is no fear Of humor
or disease in vegetable product. The
vast amount of ignorant prejudice against
the use of cotton seed oil es food Is some
times very amusing; for instance, I was
recently told of a man who said che would
not put himself on the level of a COW by
cows were fed from cotton seed meal" for
getting that when he ate corn he was put
ting himself on the level Of hog, as hogs
eat corn.
My attention was first called to cottolene
some two years ago at the Augusta exposf-
ton. Cakes pie crust, biscuit. ETC., short
ened with cottolene instead Of lard or but
ter, were made and given to visitors to
taat 7 0f rf he lrao Ind
found them very delicious. Since that time
cottolene has been used in my family with
perfect satisfaction. We not only find It q
good substitute for lard, but for butter as
well in cooking. and is much to be pre-.
ferred to the so-called cooking BUTTER
During the slavery days it was common
opinion among some people in the north
that the southern planters fed their ne
nerth raised their hands in holy horror at
such an "inhun1an outrage" never dream
ing that in the course Of a few years the
despised cotton seed, in the form of cotto-
iene, would be used and indorsed by all the
highest medical and cooking authorities
throughout the country for shortening and
frying purposes instead Of hog fat. It Is
not negroes now, but white folks" who
Ions Of cotton seed oil are shipped annually
to Spain, France and Italy, there bottled
and returned to US as pure olive OIL" for
which a fancy price is paid.
The moral for us to learn from all this Is
that this great industry has been formed
from what was for years considered worth
less I have seen thousands of bushels OF
cotton seed left to rot on the farm because
It was not known that It could be made of
any value. Therefore we should not cast
aside any product of our fertile fields as OF
no value until we have tested its richness
and adaptation to our needs.
The motto which the manufacturers of
cottolene have adopted is certainly very
appropriate. viz, Health, Purity and Econ
omy.-Ex-Gov. W. J. Northen in Southern
Cultivator of Atlanta, Georgia.