The silver lance., 1898-03-11
WE MAKE MACARONI.
DOUBTFUL IF THE BEST PASTE
COMES FROM ITALY.
Because 1t Is Machine Work = The
Americans Like to See the Foreign
Labels, However, So the Manufacturers
Are Obliged to Humbug Them.

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 II 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
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
places and kept in stock for some time
is quite sure to have deteriorated.
Moreover, it 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 to put
out their goods in honest labels, but it
becomes a question of bowling 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 If
the public would let them they would
be very glad to put their own names on
the wrappers and make their names
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 a package of
macaroni at her grocer's. guaranteed
to be of Italian make, in nine cases
out Of ten brings into her home a
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
-four. 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 it is actually possible for the
European makers of macaroni to make
it 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 it 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
a foreign-made food. A boat that re-
Gently arrived in New York had on
board $4,000 cases of macaroni, $4,000
of which were for 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 it is but one of some
200 such factories located in the various
cities of this country. 1t is fitted with
modern machinery and for this reason
has only to hire a 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 nlanufac-
ture and for this reason strangers are
not allowed in the rooms where the
work is carried on. The general meth
DDS of manufacture are not secrets,
however. Macaroni is made from hard
wheat, that being richer in gluten and
other heterogeneous compounds than the
soft wheat. The paste that is made
from the proper part of the wheat is
heated with hot water to the proper
consistency and then put in cylinders
from which it is forced through small
openings of the shape required to make
either macaroni, vermicelli or spag-
hetti. In the case of the holes for
forming the macaroni a mandril is
centered in them from the inside, so
that when the piston at the other end
of the cylinder begins to push the mass
of dough toward the end having the
openings it is forced out in pipestem
shape The macaroni is cut off the
proper lengths and placed on cloth-bot-
tom trays to be dried. These trays are
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 it will
sustain its own weight without break
ing. In Italy, also. the drying is done
in the open air, an advantage in climate