OLEOMARGARINE. 453 



more, in the State in which I live, a considerable portion of that State 

 is what we call the range section, altogether given up to the raising ot 

 live stock. In western Nebraska and in western Kansas there is not 

 much farming done. There is not much raised in the way of crops. 

 The business of the people is the keeping of live stock. 



Senator ALLEN. Will you permit me to ask you a question, Mr. 

 Bassett? 



Mr. BASSETT. Certainly. 



Senator ALLEN. The dairy interests of our State raise an entirely 

 different class of cattle from the meat- producing interests, do they not? 



Mr. BASSETT. We used to, but we have realized that the calves, the 

 steer calf especially, has a value to the dairyman, and instead of raising 

 and keeping Jersey cows and Holsteins for dairy purposes, we are going 

 back to wbat is called the common-purpose cow, that produces a 

 reasonable profit in a dairy way and at the same time we raise steers 

 that can be fattened for market. 



What I was going to say was that upon the range where their entire 

 business was the raising and marketing of live stock is now one of the 

 most promising industries of our State, in a dairy way. Out on the 

 range, where men raise no crops whatever, we have some skimming 

 stations. A skimming station is where milk is brought and the cream 

 separated from it and the cream shipped to the manufactory to be man- 

 ufactured into butter. We have three skimming stations where I am 

 under the impression that more pounds of milk are brought in a year to 

 be skimmed than at any other like stations in the United States and 

 possibly in the world. The live-stock owners on the ranges are becom- 

 ing dairymen, and that is why I protest that the National Live Stock 

 Association does not represent the people of my State in this matter. 

 The people upon the range section of the State are interested in the 

 passage of this measure. 



I do not wish to discredit the National Live Stock Association before 

 this committee, but in its appearance here it does not represent either the 

 wishes or sentiments of the very large majority of the farmers and stock 

 raisers of my State. It undoubtedly does represent the sentiment of the 

 packers, commission men, owners of live stock on the ranges, and like 

 interests, but it does not represent the sentiment of our farmers and 

 dairymen who are by far the largest raisers and owners of live stock. 



When I say " owners of live stock on ranges," I have reference to 

 that class of men who own large interests in live stock. 



Senator ALLEN. Large herds'? 



Mr. BASSETT. Large herds, yes; and those men do not do much in a 

 dairy way. I have reference to men who own comparatively small 

 herds of cattle. 



Senator ALLEN. Have you any idea of the number of cattle in the 

 State of Nebraska at this time? 



Mr. BASSETT. Something over 2,000,000 head, I think. 



We make no complaint concerning oleo sold as such, but we do make 

 complaint against oleo sold as and for butter and at butter prices. 

 The whole and entire reason that it can be thus sold is that it is 

 colored in semblance of butter. 



If a laboring man wants to eat butter he can buy it at the market 

 price. If through necessity or choice he wants to eat "pork fat" or 

 "beef fat" he can buy it for 5 cents to 7 cents a pound. 



Again, we say. it is the color that enables all who desire to defraud 

 the people to do so. A color law is the only law devised that pro- 

 tects the consumer at the table. This law protects the consumer and 

 the producer. 



