The silver star., 1898-03-10
WE MAKE MACARONI.
DOUBTFUL If THE BEST PASTE
COMES FROM ITALY.
because 1t IL Machine Work = The
Americans Like to Sec the Foreign
labels, However. SO the Manufacturers
Arc Obliged to Humbug Them.

Macaroni, spaghetti and vermicelli.
so closely associated with Italy in the
minds Of the public. are made almost
the world over. So universal has the
manufacture OF the pastes become
that 1t is extremely doubtful IL the
best article in that line is the Italian
product. says the Milwaukee Sentinel.
There are several reasons for this.
One is that the manufacture of the
Italian macaroni is still carried on In
a primitive way, large part OF the
process being by hand, and hand
work as compared to machine work
In food preparation does not have the
advantage of cleanliness. The Ameri-
can macaroni has the advantage OF
improved machinery; it has also the
advantage of being used sooner after
manufacture than the imported kind,
and macaroni is best when fresh.
Macaroni that has been shipped about
the globe, stored in doubtful storage
is quite sure to have deteriorated.
Moreover, 1t is often infested with
weevils. SO that in order to be sure
that all such insects have been re-
moved the macaroni has to be broken
into very small pieces. In spite of the
probable superiority of the American
product there is a sentiment about the
actual foreign article that does not
seem to wear away, and as result the
American manufacturers are simply
forced to put their goods up in pack
ages counterfeiting the style and word
ing on the imported brands The man
ufacturers would much prefer ito put
out their goods in honest labels, but 1t
becomes question OF bowing to the
demands OF the trade or going out of
business. They hate the deception be-
cause they feel that their goods are
even better than those imported. and II
the public would let them they would
be very glad to put their own names on
the wrappers and make their names n
guarantee of pure goods and cleanly
manufacture. The sentiment in favor
OF anything made In some older coun-
try does not wear of, however, and so
the housewife who buys package of
macaroni at her grocers, guaranteed
to be of Italian make. in nine cases
out OF ten brings into her home
sample of Milwaukee-made paste.
There is another curious thing about
macaroni. 1t makes no difference
whether a person buys the domestic
product or the foreign. he is quite sure
to get an article made from American
flour. On this point the American
manufacturers complain bitterly. for
they say they are the victims of freight
discrimination. Macaroni made in this
country has to pay freight to the
amount of 75 cents hundred pounds,
SO that II is actually possible for the
European makers of macaroni to make
| 1t OF our American flour and then send
the product to this country and under
sell the American product in the New
York market. on account of the cheap
rate on wheat to Europe. When 1t gets
to the consumer. however. the price is
always raised to few cents more than
the domestic article, because the people
are willing to pay the extra amount for
| foreign made food. boat that re-
Gently arrived in New York had on
board $4,000 cases OF macaroni, $4,000
OF which were fer one importing house.
Milwaukee has one macaroni factory.
which Is situated in 18th street. Its
output Is large and goes all over the
country. although II is but one of some
200 such factories located in the various
cities OF this country. II is fitted with
modern machinery and for this reason
has only to hire dozen men and boys
to turn out large amount daily. Each
macaroni manufacturer makes certain
improvements on the machinery that
is common to all factories by which
he Is enabled to improve his nanufac-
ture and for this reason strangers are
not allowed In the rooms where the
work Is carried on. The general meth
ods OF manufacture are not secrets
however. Macaronl is made from hard
wheat. that being richer In gluten and
ether heterogeneous compounds than the
soft wheat. The paste that ia made
from the proper part of the wheat ia
heated with hot water to the proner
consistency and then put In cylinders
from which 1t is forced through small
openings OF the shape required to make
either macaroni. vermicellI or spar-
hetti In the case OF the holes for
forming the macaronl n mandrIl ia
centered In them from the inside an
that when the piston Mt the other end
OF the cylinder begins to push the mass
OF dough toward the end having the
openings II IL forced out In pipestcm
shape. The macaroni Is cut of tho
proper lengths and placed on cloth bot
tom trays to be dried. These trays arc
taken to the drying room and placed
In racks. twenty-four hours being re.
quired to make them marketable. In
Italy the macaroni Is dried over rods,
It's consistency being such that II will
sustain Its own weight without break
Ing. In Italy. also. the drying In done
In the open mir. nm advantage In ciImnte
that gives the manufacturer there nm
advantage. II not being necessary to