The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-08-06
THE USE OF COTTON SEED OIL AS
FOOD.
How it Came Into General Use and Why it
Gained in Popularity is Sale
and Wholesome.

From the earliest Bible times to the
present day nations of the countries
surrounding the Mediterranean have
made the oil of the olive one of their
principal articles of diet 1t is used IN
all cooking operations and replaces the
butter and lard Of the nations IN north
ern Europe. There is no question but
Whit a pure vegetable oil is a most
useful and healthy article OF diet. we
never read of dyspepsia and troubles
of a similar nature among the people
Of the Levant, doubtless because the
fat taken as a necessary part OF we'll
regulated diet is always taken as a
pure vegetable oil. In our own coun-
try up to within the last few years
oil has been used but little as an ar
ticie of diet, except by Europeans who
have made their homes in our midst
We have clung to the traditions OF our
Saxon ancestors and used the hard fats
prepared from hogs and cattle. Inc
people of this country are beginning to
realize their mistake. Throughout our
southern States We have trees, small
it is true, but great in numbers, Wnlch
produce a fruit far more Wondertul
than the olive we refer to our cotton
plant. It's fiber clothes the world, its
seed yields an oil which is unrivaled
in sweetness and purity by the finest
product of the pressed olive.
Cotton seed oil was refined in small
quantities prior to the Civil war. 1t
found it's way to Europe and came back
in fancy bottles mixed with olive Oil.
In the early sos the production OF the
oil increased rapidly. Great quantities
finding their way to Chicago in mys-
teriously marked packages. the contents
of which properly blended with other
Material, Travelled all over the world in
the form OK lard. -
About the year 1887 it was discovered
that the amount of lard shipped from
Chicago greatly exceeded the weight
of all the hogs received and an 1nVes-
tigation was instituted by Congress
which brought forth the information
that the product of the cotton seed was
entirely unobjectionable as an article
of diet and liable to be preferred by
many to that of the hog. For various
reasons our people have always been
prejudiced against the oil itself, though
eating large quantities Of 1t In the
form of lard compound. This preju-
dice is no doubt largely due to the
faulty refining methods used by many
Of the manufacturers who turned out
an oil Of unpleasant flavor which gave
off very disagreeable odors in cooking.
Modern science has shed its rays on
this great product of our section and
the oil is now produced in enormous
quantities, absolutely free from odor
and flavor and almost colorless. Shipped
in barrels it finds its way into the larg-
est bake shops of the country, where
it takes the place of many tons OF lard
and butter. Packed in hermitically
sealed cans it is invading kitchens of
our best families. 1t is making friends
everywhere The greatly extended use
OF cotton seed oil in the household has
added greatly to the wealth OF our farm
ers by making sure market for all
the seed which they can produce. This
rapid increase in the use Of the oil has
only been made possible by improved
refining methods which were the re-
suits Of long, patient and expensive ex-
perinents by the leading company in
the business. Such experiments could
only be made by the combined re-
sources centered in large corporation
whieh can command the needed brains
and materials and furnish the neces-
sary money outlay to conduct expen-
sive experiments on a practical scale.
The farmer of the south has no better
friend than the large companies who
are daily striving to improve the prod
uct Of his cotton seed and extend the
use Of cotton seed oil as food product,
and the most successful of these COM
panies in the manufacture Of these
products is the Southern Cotton Oil
Company, whose works are at Savan-
nah, Ca, and who have headquarters
and general offices in Columbia, S. c.,
! Savannah, Ga, Atlanta, Ga, and Char
lotte, N. c., any Of which will gladly
| furnish information. .,