OLEOMARGAEINE. 29 



This dealer has upon his shelves the process butter, or the renovated 

 butter, to which I shall refer in a few moments. That he is allowed 

 to sell by the laws of Massachusetts without let or hindrance. He 

 offers it to his customer, and perhaps his customer buys it. He goes 

 home and tastes it and finds tljat when he uses it it takes the skin off 

 the roof of his mouth. He comes back the next time he requires but- 

 ter, and he says to the dealer, "We can not use that stuff you sold 

 me." There is a demand which this dealer is tempted in some way to 

 supply. He has oleomargarine. He knows that if he sells oleomar- 

 garine to this man at the same price or a little higher price than he 

 paid for his process butter this man will be a satisfied customer. He 

 does sell it to him. He sells it to him as butter; and why does he sell 

 it to him as butter? Not because the man is not perfectly willing to 

 take it as oleomargarine, but because if he sells it as oleomargarine he 

 violates the law of the State of Massachusetts. He does not dare to 

 trust the customer, who may appear as a witness against him, and for 

 that simple reason, instead of selling this substance for what it is, oleo- 

 margarine, he sells it for butter, which it is not, and to that extent he 

 perpetrates a fraud upon his customer. It is the most innocent of all 

 frauds so far as the customer is concerned, for the customer gets what 

 he wants, a pure article of good flavor, which satisfies his needs. But 

 he does buy it upon the statement, perhaps under the impression, that 

 it is something else than what he asks for, and that is a fraud. 



Senator ALLEN. What do you call process butter? 



Mr. GARDNER. Process butter, as I understand it, is a butter which 

 is produced in this way: Butter which has become unmarketable ran- 

 cid butter, butter which is old and left over, which for any reason can 

 not be used in the trade is purchased, and it is melted over. It is 

 treated; it is rechurned; it is colored, and it is put upon the market 

 as butter. 



Senator ALLEN. What ingredients enter into process butter? 



Mr. GARDNER. I do not think that any ingredients enter into it. It 

 is the original butter spoiled and made over again. 



Senator FOSTER. Flavored over? 



Mr. GARDNER. Flavored over and washed with acids, as my clients 

 inform me. 



Senator ALLEN. How do you remove the tainted taste? 



Mr. GARDNER. I will ask some of my friends here to answer the 

 question. 



Senator FOSTER. It is sterilized? 



Mr. JELKE. It is removed by aeration and washing in acid. 



Senator ALLEN. What acid ? 



Mr. JELKE. Sulphuric acid. 



Senator ALLEN. Something injurious to the digestion ? 



Mr. HOARD. I should like to ask a question. Do you know that 

 renovated butter is washed with sulphuric acid? 



Mr. JELKE. I have known it. 



Mr. HOARD. How do you know it? 



Mr. JELKE. Because I have been in the butter business years ago. 



Mr. HOARD. When was the renovated butter process instituted? 



Mr. JELKE. The recent improvements in process butter have been 

 adopted within the last five or six years. 



Mr. HOARD. Ho you know of any establishment making renovated 

 butter that uses sulphuric acid? 



