SOUTHERN HORIZONS 



when the vitamin content of butter drops sometimes 

 as low as five hundred units per pound. 



As for deception, butter itself fools the public eight 

 months of the year. Except when the cows are feeding 

 on fresh, young grass, butter is naturally pale yellow, 

 almost white, so it is artificially colored to simulate the 

 rich yellow of the spring and early summer months. Yet 

 every month in the year margarine must be sold un- 

 colored or pay a prohibitive tax of ten cents a pound 

 when it is colored with exactly the same dye that the 

 dairymen may use without even being compelled to 

 state so on their labels. 



This discrimination goes further. Unbleached cotton- 

 seed oil and certain types of soybean make a margarine 

 that has naturally a nice yellow tint. But this naturally 

 yellow margarine cannot be sold until it is bleached as 

 white as lard. Of course, if it looks like lard, nobody will 

 spread it on bread. Taste, food value, lower price, do 

 not change this stubborn fact. 



This is not the whole story, but it is enough to indi- 

 cate that margarine can work up a strong appeal to 

 the American public's sense of fair play. Whoever will 

 whip this up by emphasizing the fact that margarine 

 is the only food that pays a discriminatory tax and 

 coin a good slogan about keeping a healthful spread 

 for the poor man's bread, will have the makings of a 

 humming popular campaign. 



In a political battle, votes count. To the consumer 

 82 



