23 



pound ; in 1889, 6| cents per pound. This would indicate 

 that the cost of manufacture cannot be much over 6 cents 

 per pound. 



American Methods of Manufacture. 



Although many patents have been granted for methods of 

 manufacture, not one of them is in use to-day, and the manu- 

 facture of oleomargarine is open to any one who can com- 

 mand the capital necessary and who wishes to go into the 

 business. The original Mogo patent was bought by Ameri- 

 can capitalists, but only for the purpose of protecting them- 

 selves, and most of the processes now in use are not covered 

 by the original patent. 



* " The folio winoj inofredients enter into the manufacture 

 of oleomargarine as pursued in this country : Oleo oil, 

 neutral lard, some liquid vegetable oil, as cotton seed, sesame, 

 or peanut, butter, in the higher grades, cream and milk, 

 together with salt, and annotto or other coloring material. 

 Very few of the oleomargarine manufacturers make their own 

 oleo oil or neutral lard, and none of them refine or crush the 

 vegetable oils used in the lower grades of oleomargarine, but 

 buy them in the open market, these materials being now well 

 established commercial products. 



The manufacture of oleo oil is generally carried on in con- 

 nection with the large slaughter and packing houses situated 

 in or near the principal cities, where every effort is made to 

 utilize all portions of the cattle slaughtered. The finished 

 product is nearly colorless, tasteless, and at ordinary tem- 

 perature is a soft, granular fat, rather than an oil. The hard 

 fat remaining in the filter bags is removed from the press 

 and forms the beef- or oleo-stearin, which is used either for 

 making refined lard, by the addition of cotton-seed oil, or 

 sold to the soap or candle makers. The manufacture of 

 neutral lard is conducted by essentially the same machinery 

 and at about the same temperature employed in the manu- 

 facture of oleo oil. Only the leaf fat of freshly-slaughtered 

 hogs is used. 



Though there may be slight differences in the details, the 

 range of temperature, size of tanks, etc., pursued by the dif- 



* Annual report of tlic Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 188S. 



