214 THE BUTTER INDUSTRY IN UNITED STATES [438 



ciation x was organized to furnish pure milk in opposition to 

 the poor grade of milk produced at distilleries. The Erie 

 railroad had not yet developed order and regularity in its 

 deliveries and as a result the milk from Orange County was 

 not always available. 



In 1862, the state of New York passed a law prohibiting 

 the production of unwholesome milk and its adulteration. 

 This law was amended in 1864, and subsequent laws were 

 passed in 1865, 1878, and 1882; but the adulteration of 

 milk in New York City remained a menacing evil until 

 1884, 2 when the office of Dairy Commissioner was estab- 

 lished. This office provided the necessary machinery to en- 

 force the law. A dairy fraud that stirred the people about 

 as much as the production and sale of impure milk was the 

 introduction of oleomargarine and selling it for butter. 

 Agitation for laws against this traffic originated among the 

 dairymen and was propagated by them. 



HISTORY OF OLEOMARGARINE 



The word oleomargarine is made up of the two words,- 

 oleic and margarin. Oleic is the adjectival form of oleum 

 which is the Latin for oil. The definition of oleic is : per- 

 taining to or derived from oil. 3 In its combining form this 

 word is spelled olco. Thus, we have the words, oleophos- 

 phoric acid, oleo-palmitin, oleo-stearin, etc. Margarin or 

 margarine is derived from the word margaric, which is the 

 name given by Chevreul to one of the three fatty acids 

 (oleic, margaric, stearic), the glyceryl derivatives of which 

 (olein, margarin, stearin) were thought by him to form 

 the chief constituents of animal fat. Margarine has since 



1 John Mullaly, The Milk Trade in New York and Vicinity, p. 105. 

 ' Vide, Laws of New York, 1862, p. 866; 1864, p. 1195; 1865, p. 472; 

 1878, p. 274; 1884, p. 255. 

 * Vide, Standard and New English dictionaries. 



