The farmer and mechanic., 1910-02-22
By DIR. TAFT BUTLER.

a large numb of the leading daily
papers Of the South, many Southern
COngressmen, the commercial organ
izations Of our Southern cities, and
the cotton seed oil interests. are all
lined up with the large packing in
terests on the side of that arch fraud,
oleomargarine, and against the dairy
interests. We have confidence in the
honesty and patriotism Of the men
who are thus working against the real
agricultural interests of the South,
but they are misguided innocents.
The avowed reason for their re-
markabIe position on this OleOmargar-
inc question. is that large Quantities
OF cotton seed oil are used in the man
utacture of oleomargarlne, and that
to encourage the sale OF this product
will increase the demand for and raise
the price of cotton seed oil. and con-
sequently. the price Of cotton seed
Let us see what the real facts are.
In 1909 there were manufactured
95,0OO,O00 pounds of oleomargarine,
butterine, renovated butter. etc. On
an average this did not contain 20 per
cent of cotton seed oil, but to be
certain to be above the actual quantity
used, let us suppose all this stuff
made in imitation Of butter contained
an average Of 20 per cent cotton seed
oil. In such case it would contain
100000 pounds of cotton seed oil.
Let us compared this with the oil
produced. Taking the cotton crop
as 100000 bales, this would give
about 6,5O0,oO0 tons of seed. If three
fourths of those seed We're handled
by the oil mills and 800 pounds Of
oil extracted from each ton of seed,
the total oil produced would be L.
462,5o0,o00 pounds. On this basis
just Is per cent of the oil produced
was used in Oleomargarine.
AS u matter of fact. however. we
are we'll within the limit Of certainty
when we state that not more than one
half of one per cent of our cotton
seed oil went into American oleomar
garine. How much will it benefit
southern agriculture to sell 1000, 600
gallons of cotton seed Oil for $500, 900,
to go into q product that never was
sold honestly to consumers, but first
obtained it's place in the market. and
has always maintained it by being
made in imitation of butter and gen
orally sold as butter? The money
which this fraudulent compound will
take out Of the South over and above
its real value and because it is allow
ed to masquerade as butter, will ex
Ceed ten-fold that received from the
sale OF all the cotton seed oil which
it contains.
But there is another side of this
question, which the Southern advo-
Gates of oieomargarine seem never to
have considered Soil improveme ent
is one great problem Of the South to-
day. To build up Southern soils, it
is essential to develop and maintain a
live stock industry. OF all the phases
of the live stock industry, butter
making removes least from the farm;
and the dairynan can pay more for
feeding stuffs than can be paid by
the feeder of any other class of live
stock. Moreover, the dairymen Of
the entire country-South and North
alike-are the largest purchasers of
cotton seed meal. and can and will
pay the highest prices for it, Not
only is the sale Of cotton seed meal
to dairymen worth many times, to the
cotton oil interests, what they can
ever hope to obtain from the oleomar-
garine manufacturers for cotton seed
oil; but in encouraging the dairy in
terests they would be building up an
industry which would mean greater
soil fertility and greater prosperity to
the entire South.
Oleomargarine while In no sense
the equal of butter-if it were this. it
would not be made in imitation of
butter--is a clean. wholesome food
product and should have a legitimate
place among our food stuffs. Had
the Oleomargarine manufacturers
dealt fairly with the consuming pub
lie and put their product on the mar
ket for what it really is. there would