The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-14
washington time q p. m. St. Paul..
A CRUSADE For PURE LARD.

Lard is not one of the toothsome prod
the presiding genius of the kitchen
as an indispensable article in the produc-
ton of those dainties and substantials
with which she is told she can open read
fly the way to the heart of the lord and
master of the household. Lard is a by
product of pork: that is, of the hog.
That is to say, it Is additionally so. But
the latter-day chemist cunning has found
that a substance may be made to look
like lard and perform the functions of
lard by the amalgamation of lard with
various other cheaper substances. 1t
further came to pass that the same in
veterately curious and inquisitive per-
son found that an oil expressed from the
seed of the cotton plant might be COM
bined with other substances and an arti-
Gle be made that would serve the same
purposes as lard. The hog raisers of the
land were not long in discovering that
their TANKS were being turned by lard
stitutes on the other. After the fashion
of the day they rushed to the legislature
and demanded and readily got laws de-
signed, If not to drive the flankers from
the field, at least to acquaint consumers
with what they bought and used.
Notwithstanding these laws are in the
books an ignorance of them was so prev
alent that even the great packing houses,
to their cost, were not aware of them.
No effort for their enforcement was made
before the advent of the present admin
istration of the food and dairy depart
ment, but it has started out on a cru
SADIE to compel obedience to the statutes
as is its plain duty, regardless of the
consequences. 1t has brought action
against all the large packing houses do
Ing business in this state who had
omitted to brand the packages contain
ing their compounds and substitutes as
the law directs These wisely entered
and are sending out the proper labels to
be affixed to their goods 1t may not be
amiss to briefly state the provisions made
by law, especially as, after bringing the
must, if the end sought is to be reached
see that the law is obeyed by the others
who deal in or use these regulated prod
ucts
The act divides these products into two
classes. "adulterated" lard and lard
substitutes" Adulterated lard is that
in which any other substance is used
with lard, usually cottOnseed oil and beef
stearine, while lard substitute" is any
article made to be used as lard in which
no lard is used, the ingredients being
usually cottonseed oil and beef stearine.
1t requires every package containing
either of these articles to be labeled and
to state the percentages of each ingre-
dent of which 1t Is composed Thus the
purchaser may know what he is buying
But while the makers will comply with
ton for dealers, retailers and those who
prepare food for the public to sell or use
for pure lard these cheaper articles. So
the law requires the retailer to hand to
each purchaser of either a card contain
ing a statement that what is bought is
adulterated lard or lard substitute, com
posed of the substances stated Bakers,
hotel and restaurant keepers are also
required to furnish purchasers the same
card if they use these kinds of lard in
preparing food. 1t is with these persons
the department will have to deal after
bringing the manufacturers to time.
One of the many cases in which Iegis-
latures are worked to promote private in
terests while seeming to protect the pub
lie occurs in this lard law. There is a
provision that the act shall not apply to
cottolene made from beef stearine and
cOttonseed oil. If the packages are la