Edible Products. 



390 



[Nov. 1906. 



submitted to his inspection certainly has been adulterated— usually with cottonseed 

 oil— or his testimony leaves a doubt. A great number of tests for cottonseed oil 

 mixed with lard have been submitted, but practically without exception they have 

 proven valuejess." If the learned chemists cannot recognize any difference between 

 cottonseed oil and hog lard, why, then, should the government treat cottonseed 

 oil as an outlaw? 



All persons eating cottonseed meal in combination with other bread stuffs 

 have expressed great surprise at its rich flavour and its entire wholesomeness. On 

 the 10th of May I had the pleasure of entertaining at my table the Executive 

 Committee of the Texas Farmers' Congress by invitation, and these guests ate 

 freely of cottonseed meal and wheat flour muffins, and expressed their delight, 

 satisfaction and surprise. It is worthy of note that cottonseed meal carrying 

 about 12 per cent, of vegetable oil requires no addition of shortening material. 

 Furthermore, it is surprisingly amenable to all of the laws of cooking, and 

 according to the investigations of Dr, Kilgore, it renders all other foods eaten 

 more easily digested. 



We are sometimes inclined to over-estimate the prejudice existing in the 

 minds of our people (the laymen) against the use of cottonseed meal and cotton oil. 

 As an indication of the truth of this assertion, permit me to call attention to the 

 fact that about two years ago the pages of " Farm and Ranch " were open for the 

 discussion of these topics, and facts bearing particularly upon the feeding of 

 cottonseed meal to hogs according to the Allison method briefly stated. Since that 

 time every issue of " Farm and Ranch" is flooded with cottonseed meal and cotton 

 oil articles in the nature of " come-backs," and nearly all approving the more 

 liberal use of these Southern products. As another evidence of the ease with which 

 local prejudice may be broken down, I wish to personally testify that I have 

 quite recently become a practical convert to the use of refined cotton oil for cooking 

 and similar uses. I have used it ior weeks and months consecutively in my home 

 to the exclusion of hog lard. My own prejudice against cotton oil for biscuit 

 making was deep seated, because based on unfavourable experience of some fifteen 

 years ago. Its sickening odour, when heated was familiar and still unforgotten, so 

 that I was convinced that cotton oil could be prepared in no way that would fit 

 it for the best table use, even when diluted with hog lard or beef suet — a " compound 

 lard." That early experience was reliable as far as the product on which it was 

 based was concerned. But invention has developed a new cotton oil — an oil freed 

 from those old impurities which gave out the rank odour. 



Having used nothing but pure cotton oil as a " cooking fat " in the home for 

 some six months, I would be untrue to my convictions and to the valuable home 

 product derived from Southern farms, did I not confess that cotton oil is equal in 

 all respects for cooking purposes to the best lard. Smaller amounts of the oil are 

 needed in cooking to secure just the correct " shortening," but this advantage is 

 appreciated and understood by the dullest cook within a two week's experience. 

 Conviction as to its value as a cooking oil led to further experiments. If good for 

 folks it must be good for brutes. So, when the dog was poisoned, we drenched it 

 with cotton oil. In case of stress we ran to the can for a supply of mowing machine 

 oil, as a matter of encouragemet to the squeaking lawn mower. It gave satisfactory 

 results in both cases and we felt encouraged. 



The best improved olive oil which reaches America from Italy is said to 

 arry a large percentage of " American olive oil"— manufactured from the cotton, 

 seed. I like olive oil on certain vegetables, and recklessly tried to substitute the 

 vulgar cotton oil of American origin for the finest imported olive oil in preparing 

 a dish of lettuce. I was even better pleased with the results. To the eye and to 



