Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-24
Ninety Per Cent of the Butter
Used In Des Moines Is Rem
Oyated Article
SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROCESS
State Dairy Commissioner Wright Dis
cusses the Methods Used to Deceive
the consumer-Profitab Business
for the Renovator-The Good Butter
Shipped East.

cent of the butter eaten by the people
of Des Moines is renovated butter
said State Dairy Commissioner III. r
| Wright today. II mean by that" he
continued, that the people of this
city which is located in the center OF
states in the union, are satisfied to
purchase the odds and ends of the
creamery and dairy product while the
choice brands are shipped to New
York and sold at fancy prices.
"There are three concerns operating
in Des Moines which are engaged solely
in the business of Transforming rancid
butter into the palatable article that
YOU find in the local market. They
supply practically the whole of the To-
cal demand and they are making lots
of money. Their profits are big too
because the butter that they buy can
be gotten for almost nothing and is
sold within three or four cents of the
price that fancy grades of creamery
butter brings in the New York mar
ket.
'sThis may seem incredible, but 1t is
nevertheless the fact. Figures are
easily obtainable that will show be-
yond doubt that practically all of the
creamery output goes to New York
and the other eastern markets. What
ever butter the creameries have on
hand that won't pass the test of the
New York experts is sold to the reno
vators here and by them retailed to To-
cal consumers. The best of the dairy
product is also shipped out of the
state where it will bring good prices
while the secondary and tertiary
grades are disposed Of to the removal
tor.
THE consequence of this arrange
ment is that the local consumer gets
the very worst butter the state pro-
duces. 1t looks good to him, the price
suits his means and he doesn't care to
interest himself in its history. The
funny part of 1t is that many house
holders think that because they are
living in a dairy state the butter that
they can buy of the gilt edge variety.
1.-THE renovators here are busy all the
time buying up all the poor grades of
butter that they can lay their hands
on. They get 1t for about thirteen
cents per pound and sell it for thirty.
They buy their butter from the country
grocery stores, from the creamerieS,
from the diaries and from the farmers.
Wherever there is butter to be had
that couldn't be given away in New
York you will find the renovator or his
agent buying up the supply. Often this
butter Is of such a poor quality that
it is offensive to all the senses. have
some that it would be fattery to call
rank. 1t is off-color, looks bad, tastes
bad, smells bad. and is actually just as
bad as 1t appears.
However, little things like that don't
worry the Industrious renovator. He
gets together all of it that he can, car
ries 1t to his factory and throws it into
Il big vat, where it Is heated by steam
coils until it becomes liquid. While
It is In this form the heavy impurities
sink to the bottom of the tank, while
The lighter ones rise to the top in the
form of scum. The renovator skins this |
eff, inserts a siphon into the unsavory
mixture until 1t extends down almost
10 the stratum of the heavy impurities
md then drains off the butter fat. This |
s sprayed into tank Of ice water, /
where 1t assumes the form of little |
ylobules. Then it is put into churn |
With a little sour milk, salt and other |
and churned until 1t as
;umes the appearance and taste of but |
er. After that it Is done up in square
packages and sold to the consumer.
I'm case the butter is so rancid that /
.fter the boiling and skimning process
here is still an offensive taste the reno
,ator drains off the butter fat and SUBJ
ects it to an aerating process that T
,yaporates the volatile oils that give |
,utter its rancid taste. The fat is then
burned as before and goes out to the
consumer.
s"Summer time Is the renovator's busy
eason. He goes out into the country
nd buys up butter while there is lots
i bad butter on hand and buys it
heap. He keeps 1t iu cold storage I'M
Il the buying season is over and then
10 renovates it and sells it to the people
f Des Moines.'
here is no way Of preventing the reno
-ator from selling his product If people
Wish to buy it. He marks his product
as required by statute. and
omplies with the law in all respects.
lis prices are always several cents
nder the New York market price and
his brings ready sales. His profits are
Jig, his work easy, and as 'heS has the
ntire market to himself, his sales are
The only competition that
e has to fear Is the oleomargarine
rust and as the product of the latter is
4 rather unsavory rapute and the stat
tie compels retailers who sell it to an
ounce the fact with big posters, he has
cry little trouble in shutting the oleo-
Margarine people out Of the field.
FOR BLAckMAlLlNG.