Lancaster enterprise. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1891-1905, 1902-08-13
THE USE OF COTTON SEED Oil AS
FOOD.
low It Came Into General Use and Why it
Gained in PopuIarity---lt is Safe
and Wholesome.

From the earliest Bible times to the
present DAY naions 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
what pure vegetable oil is a most
useful and healthy article of diet. We
never read of dyspepsia and troubles
OF similar nature among the people
or the Levant, doubtless because the
rat 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. The
people OF this country are beginning to
realize their mistake. Throughout our
southern states we have trees, small
II Is true, but great in numbers, which
produce a fruit far more wonderful
than the olive, we refer to our cotton
plant. It's fiber clothes the world, it's
seed yields an oil which is unrivaled
III sweetness ana 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
nndinS their way 70 Chicago in myS-
teriouSly marked packages, the contents
Of which properly blended with other
material. travelled all over the world in
the form of lard.
About the year 1887 it was discovered
that the amount OF lard shipped from
Chicago greatly exceeded the weight
hogs inv
ugauOn was instituted by Congress
which brought forth the information
that the product of the cotton seed was
entirely unobjccttonable as an article
or diet and liable to he preferred bv
many To that OF the hog. For various
reasons our people have always been
Drejudiced against the oil itself though
eating large quantities Of IT 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 diSagreea BILE 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 0Ior
and fiavor and almost cOlorl"ss. Shipped
IN barrels 1t finds its way into the Iurg-
est bake shops OF the country, where
ii takes the place OF many tons OF lard
e
sealed cans IL 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 a sure market for all
the seed which they can produce. This
rap!T 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-
p"rimentS by the leading company in
the business. Such experiments could
only be made by the combined re-
sources centered I'm Il large corporation
which can command the needed brains
and materials and furnish the ncCes-
sary money outlay TO conduct expen-
siye experiments on 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 a food product
and the most successful OF these com
panics In the manufacture Of these
products Is the Southern Cotton Oil
Company, whose works are at Sayan-
nah, Ga, and who have Headquarters
and general offices I'm Columbia, s c
savannah, Ga, Atlanta, Ga, and Char
lotte. N. c., any of which will gladly
furnish information.