338 OLEOMABGARINE. 



sensus of expert, authoritative opinion throughout the world is in favor 

 of its absolute purity in its inception or basic materials, and thorough 

 cleanliness in their manipulation and the completed product, and to-day, 

 if exact justice were done, the sign and synonym of perfect purity, 

 without suspicion of dross or alloy, would be the words, "Pure as but- 

 terine." For what other food product under the sun can the same be 

 said? Take any list of foods sold by the grocer, or any other purveyor 

 of eatables, and instantly you will be confronted with the suggestion 

 that the bulk of them are open to the suspicion of sophistication or 

 substitution of their most important or essential elements. This asser- 

 tion applies to butter more readily than to many other food necessi- 

 ties, as is evidenced by the efforts that have been made for some years 

 past to control the sale of renovated or process butter, and which in 

 truth is more urgently required than the commonly advertised and 

 open sale of oleomargarine. 



It is the good fortune of this Government to have in its Department 

 of Agriculture one who has a world-wide fame as an expert on dairy 

 products. I refer to Prof. Henry B. Alvord, chief of the dairy division. 

 This gentleman is on record as a consistent advocate of the purity of 

 our dairy products and as opposed to all sham and fraud in the sale 

 of substitutes; willing that oleomargarine shall be sold as such, and 

 maintaining that the greater and more subtle fraud renovated butter 

 should be under the regulation of the Government. 



To show this I am permitted to read a letter from Professor Alvord 

 to a prominent physician, giving his views on renovated butter. It is 

 as follows : 



FEBRUARY 8, 1900. 

 Dr. J. J. BAUMANN, 



661 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, N. J. 



DEAR SIR : Your inquiry has been received relating to process or renovated butter. 



We have nothing printed upon this subject, and it would be impossible to give you 

 a full account of it within the limits of a letter. 



Briefly, it is butter which has become unmerchantable, or what we would call bad 

 butter, running through all the degrees of badness, bought up cheaply, brought 

 together in large quantity, reduced to a limpid oil by melting, and clarified by both 

 chemical and mechanical processes, which are more or less secret. The oil is then 

 drawn off, a semblance of the crystallization or granulation of butter fat is obtained 

 by chilling, usually by spraying the fat into ice water, and then it is rechurned with 

 more or less sour milk or buttermilk to give it the new flavor, salted, and made up 

 for market. 



It is in this form just what the name "renovated" implies. Unless adulterated with 

 other fats, which is not usual, it can be claimed to be pure butter, as far as chemical 

 composition is concerned. But many of the characteristics of good and fresh butter 

 are lacking, and the renovated article deteriorates very rapidly unless it is kept 

 quite cold. 



The chief objection to this renovated butter is that it is sold in large quantities 

 under misrepresentation in place of fresh creamery butter, and at prices much above 

 its actual value. Fraud upon purchasers and consumers is thus perpetrated, and 

 this is the feature connected with the business which needs governmental interfer- 

 ence and regulation. 



Very respectfully, yours, HENRY E. ALVORD. 



I have here the original letter, which substantiates what I have read. 



Further evidence ot the necessity for the regulation of this fraud is 

 found in the laws which have been passed here in the District of 

 Columbia, as well as in some of the States, and are published in Bul- 

 letin No. 26 of the Department of Agriculture, which you now have 

 before you. These laws are intended to secure in this District and in 

 the States mentioned a standard for pure butter, and require, in the 

 District of Columbia: 88 per cent of fat, 12 per cent of water, 5 per cent 

 of salt. Iowa : 80 per cent of fat, not over 15 per cent of water, not over 



