OLEOMAKGABINE. 169 



Mr. LESTRADE. The Danish process, without going into too much 

 detail there may be other butter men here and they might catch on 

 is a slow process. It is an old-fashioned process of making butter, 

 really. 



The CHAIRMAN. Do they make the butter with the hands or machine ? 



Mr. LESTRADE. With crude machinery, in almost the same way you 

 would make it by churning with your hand. 



The CHAIRMAN. That is, they let the milk turn ? 



Mr. LESTRADE. Yes. 



The CHAIRMAN. Is there nothing about it except more care? 



Mr. LESTRADE. More care and knowing how to work it, really. 

 What we aimed at was to get the consistency of body so that it would 

 keep, so that we can guarantee to,the United States Government when 

 making purchases, which we are obliged to do, that the butter will 

 keep a year without going into liquid form, without going into oil or 

 without getting strong. I do not dare to take the butter from any 

 creamery into this country and put it into my stock with the idea that 

 it will keep like that. So the old-fashioned way, after all, is best. 

 You and you and you used to buy your butter and keep it all winter, 

 and it kept all winter; but to-day you take one of our fresh creameries 

 and you keep it a week and it will go strong. However, that we con- 

 sider is in the long line of progress and promotion, and getting toward 

 the perfection of butter. In one sense it is and in another sense it is 

 not. 



Senator HANSBROUGH. You were obliged to compete with this Danish 

 process, were you not? 



Mr. LESTRADE. Yes, sir. 



Senator HANSBROUGH. You were obliged to make butter in the same 

 fashion, on the same plan, in order to compete with them? 



Mr. LESTRADE. Yes, sir. 



Senator HANSBROUGH. That brought your butter up to a higher 

 standard ? 



Mr. LESTRADE. Up to a higher standard. 



Senator HANSBROUGH. That it was not altogether oleomargarine that 

 brought the standard up ? 



Mr. LESTRADE. The point with oleomargarine was that for years I 

 was bothered to get these men interested to make better butter. They 

 would not do it. I would show them this butter. I would show them 

 the necessity for making better butter, but their butter sold for a 

 figure, and consequently they were satisfied; but when oleomargarine 

 came in I do not know whether some of these gentlemen represent- 

 ing these different States were interested in butter then; I do not know 

 that they are interested in butter now but it created a tremendous 

 furore in the West, and every butter man knows positively beyond 

 question that oleomargarine had more to do with raising butter and 

 bringing up to a better condition and a better quality than all the lec- 

 tures and all the talks and appeals that we could give them by letter or 

 otherwise. That is known. 



Mr. ADAMS. If the gentleman will permit me I do not want to 

 bother him with interruptions he makes his statement too sweeping. 

 We have no objection to the statement of your belief, but some of us 

 who have been interested for many years in the butter interest do not 

 agree with you; so you should not say all. 



Mr. LESTRADE. I am perfectly willing to answer every question put 



