. f .-.'■;•  .•*.■
VOL. XIX.' ^
■-•■/
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY,   APRIL   5,1884.
NO. 14.
OLEOMA-RGARINE.
The War on Fraudulent Trade.
Xlirlc Add Used in the Product.oii.-
We have many times alluded to the fact
tbat butter imitations are numerous in
kind and variety in all the markets. Our
own State Board of Health has given notice that it will enforce the Indiana statute
j/fekfter on this subject, and now other
States are also moving in the same direc-
Its deleterious effects on the human
gysteni, as wellas upon legitimate trade, are
made apparent by the late investigation of
the subject by the New York Legislative
Committee on Health. The hotel and private tables in the larger cities of Indiana
abound with this vile stuff, and it is partaken of daily, with no knoweldge of the
(act, or that it is injurious. Legitimate
trade ln dairy goods is damaged as well.
The following testimony before the New
York Committee gives a fair picture of this
fraudulent trade the country over. The
effect of oleomargarine on the human
stomach was the subject discussed:
Resolutions adopted by the New York
Retail Grocers' Union on March 3, and addressed to the Senate Committee on Public
Health, were read. They urged that a
proper law should be passed by the Legislature, with stringent penalties, prohibiting the sale of any kind of imitation butter as butter, and that no wholesale or
retail dealer, under heavy fine and penalties, be allowed to sell any imitation of
butter without stating what the  article is.
Charles Moses, of No. 41 First, avenue,
the first witness, was formerly employed
in the oleomargarine factory Of Nathan &
Co., in Grove street.   He said:
I was a packer and packed the stuff in
tubs. Sometimes I made it into rolls of
one and two pounds each. I lost the nails
on my hands and sores were made in my
nesn and my feet were made sore bv the
H_aor which ran over my boots and had
eaten through them. I had to go to Belle-
vue Hospital, and the doctor told me it
»°uld kill me if I continued in the business My teeth were made loose and are
now loose; many of them came out.   My
hosnij^f? 0S,\ .for/wen days while in thi
Hospital I spit blood.
James Gardner, of Jfe. 229 West Eighteenth street, testified:
annte Michael Hearn, who worked in
woieomar^nne factory about 18 months
U_th«thad t? stop work forthe reason
lied a fo aS P°lsoned by the product. He
Ko_3,month? after*   He  died  from
feSarXnenhiS *»temhy  hand-
"'"« DEALERS   IN   BUTTER   AND   CHEESE
HAY
a r!!iln0e>!ia Folsom. °f No. 70 Warren street,
comn,i8sion chee90 fjea]er for ^ .n
■niacity, said:
^eonmi^,TeSUKfffed K™0^ fro™
[>>« butter t^?tl0,n butter* The effept on
iiinousi   tS,'8  very  disastrous and
_. — ••* T   _._ Jf _|_f-
™Micb wou^—6"'-8 S^St?m °'
itabl
r sell
naltin7o?Vhl^belJeve  in   "'lowing  the
**t"K soli  f'lproduct.i>»t  insist  o
rent»nw7Pn,,7JM re?ulrethe indorse-
ensetoZi.^,tab,1,e citizens before a 11-
* gran erl    r  *se,1.1 oleomargarine should
on ita
Is now
*»>I* sol,i V„ i""""", out  insist  t
^.itUnoth-.^118,1'1  is-   Asitisuow
^•■ys sold fr.Va*nded in any w»y*  and is
laltwa.intr2T* b.'mer-   Ti">  chief  agri-
^Mot?'0'Estate is ruined by
intofthe3a^lne-   At lea3t 76Per
'^ar..^/*31^  iaShi»city_.sell
I am in  favor
of a prohibitory law if this business cannot
be stopped without it. I could make much
more money out of selling oleomargarine
than I can from selling butter, but I have
never handled imitation butter,' and do
not intend to. That stuff is purely a mechanical mixture, and fraudulently sold is
very injurious to an honest industry of our
State and one that enriches the country,
and if one or the other must go, by all
means oleomargarine should be the one to
go. I have been made very sick by tasting
imitation butter; have lost my breakfast
in this way many times. I think that
some of the dairymen in the State adulterate their butter with neutral lard. I believe in having a commission appointed in
each county to supervise closely all this
business.
John Guth, of No. 162 Chambers street, a
produce commission dealer for 30 years,
testified to this effect:
I would favor a prohibitory law for the
protection of the public and of the dairymen. Oleomargarine could never be sold
if offered for what it is. It greatly injures
the farmers. I deal in it to only this extent: When I get an order for it I fill it by
an order on some dealer in it. I do not
keep it on hand.  .
Charles N. Boschen, a Washington Market butter dealer for 27 years, said:
The sale of oleomargarine is killing the
dairy business.. It is always sold for butter—I never knew it to be sold for what it
is. It is never branded as imitation butter, so far as I know. I had a friend who
tried to sell imitation butter for what it
was, and he kept a tub of it marked "Oleomargarine" on his counter for 30 days, and
was not able to sella pound of it. This
product could not be sold forwhat itis. If
sold commonly it will make every dairyman a counterfeiter and every retail dealer
a swindler. I have known oleomargarine
sold for 37 cents a pound when it cost only
12 or 14 cents. .
NITRIC ACID AND OTHER INGREDIENTS.
Dr. . H. A. Pooler, of Goshen, Orange
county, formerly a member of the Board of
Health, and now a member of the Orange
County Board of Health and vice-president
of the Orange County Partners' Milk Association, testified in regard to the effects of
nitric acid which is used in the manufacture of oleomargarine.   He said:
When applied to the human integument
it first leaves a white spot, which turns to
orange yellow; it is a powerful caustic, destroying all animal tissue it com.s in contact with. Upon the mucous membrane it
leaves a brown spot. The enamel of the
teeth is rendered very white at first by this
acid. In cases of fatal results, the lesions
were found in the mouth, cesophagus and
stomach, but although the small intestine
was sound, the colon was intensely and
deeply ulcerated. Administered internally anil in small doses, diluted nitric acid
first exerts a tonic action and increases the
appetite and action of the kidneys. Generally it produces a white coating on the
tongue and a dryness of the mouth.
Sometimes after a few days the teeth begin
to grow loose and the gums bleed. Its
longer employment occasions dyspepsia,
colic, foul oreath, headache, feverishness,
debility and constipation or diarrhoea. As
a disinfectant Dr, Stille says: "However
effectual it may have been in destroying
contagion, the plan was found to have
serious effects upon both patient and attendant, producing coughs by its vapors,
producing abundant secretion of mucus
from the lungs and throat, and sometimes
diarrhoea. It was undoubtedly useful in
correcting the foul odors of the sick-room
and in neutralizing the infectious effluvia.
It is with difficulty digested by delicate
stomachsand should never be used without
a large admixture of farinaceous articles.
As medicine it is seldom used or adminis •
tered internally exceptamong the vulgar.'
Q. Is the fat used in making oleomargarine, wholesome? A. Aside from the
question of adulteration some of the lards
which were sampled for me could not be
censidered as agreeable or wholesome articles of food.
Q. What is benne oil? A. Sesame folium or benne leaf is a plant of Egypt, Italy
and Africa; also of South Carolina, and
may grow as far north as Philadelphia, but
does not mature there. The oil is expressed
from the seeds. Dr. Ainstie says that it is
considered by native practitioners to possess emmenagogue virtues.
ifee-
_t.V.*r-    *t, iXXXXX.
Postal Card Correspondence.
INDIANA.
Gibson Co. March 31—Wheat improving. F..J.   .
Posey Co.—Spring is backward here
Wheat looks well. H. T. G. -
Habrison Co.. March 29.—Small fruit is
beginning to bud. M. A. H.
Washington Co., March 29.—Oats plow
ing began very late. W. W. M.
Cass  Co.   March . 31.—Farm  prospects
favorable.   Wheat looks well.' T. B. H.
: Henry Co., March 29.—Wheat in excellent condition and grass growing finely.
W. D.
Vanderburo Co., March 31.—Plougn-
ing begun. Some wheat looks well but
much is thin. W. B.
Clarke Co., March 31.—Oats sowing well
advanced; grass starting finely; fruit bud-
swelling rapidly. II. K.
; Rush Co., March 29.—Buds on elm trees
opening. Farmers plowing. Grass and
wheat growiDg finely. J_. K.
Kosciusko Co., March 29.—Farm work
delayed very much by rain. Some wheat
looks good, some bad*. E. M. I.
Fayktte Co., March 29.—A terrific wind
storm passed on tlie 2.-th, blowing down
barns, trees, fences, etc. -   J. H.
Green Co., March 29.—Grass is growing and some eats coming up. VVheat
improving.   .Maples budding.    W. B. *_.
Crawford Co., March 29.—Wheat and
grass growing finely. Had quite a wind
storm on 25th.   Farmers busy plowing.
J.M. J.
Clinton Co., March* 29.—Some oats
sowed. Nearly all the wheat looks well;
few pieces thin. Wheat market depressed.
E. II. S.
Hancock Co., March 31.—Wheat looks
well; grass growing. But little plowing
done, as ground is too wet. Stock in fair
condition. S. S. B.
Warrick Co., March 29.—Three-fourths
of wheat looks tine, but rest is poor and
thin. Gardening and oats sowing commenced.   Roads improving.      J. P. W.
Fulton Co.—The wheat looks very fair,
and the farmers are very generally feeling
good. The ground is in fine shape. There
is a scarcity of hogs in this section.
.    E. D. M.
Clinton Co., March 22.—Some oats sown.
Farmers in spirits. Feed scarce; straw in
demand, wheat is growing rapidly. A
large crop of corn will be put out.
1 E. H.S.
Allen Co.—Wheat was injured by excessive freezing and thawing, especially on
black ground. Fat hogs and cattle scarce
and prices high. Oats and hay plenty;
corn scarce. Z.
Clinton Co., March 28.—Wheat looks
well. Some plowing done., Roads muddy.
Live stock of all kinds in good demand.
Fresh milk cows especially nigh in price.
Health good. I. M.
Shelby Co., March 22.—Wheat is looking some better; meadows and pastures
are beginning to show their colors; the
roads are settling some; farm hands get
from ?14 to ?20 per month. A. C.
Hendricks Co., March 24.—Wheat looks
bad; clover badly frozen out; stock in fair
condition; stock hogs selling high; corn
scarce and high; hay plenty; roads muddy; some plowing done. C. II. M.
Gibson Co.—Wheat looks well, except
late sown. Stock looks well as a general
thing. No oats sown yet. Hogs dying
with . cholera. Will be a large : crop of
water-meions planted this spring.      _v.
Clarke Co., March  25.—Wheat looked '
bad soon after the snow and ice left it, but -
a favorable spell  of weather has  made  a
wonderful change.   Stock  has  wintered
well.   Farming has commenced.
T. J. S.      ,
Spencer Co., March 29 Wheat on rolling land and  on well  drained bottoms    '
looks fairly well;  much killed in swamps -
and bottoms.   Farmers  putting  in  oats,
planting early potatoes and sowing tobacco     -
seed. J.A.      . .
Switzerland Co., March 29.—Weather,
favorable for agriculture and work progressing. Produce remarkably low; potatoes 25 cents and onions 50 cents per
bushel. A violent tornado passed over ud • '■
on the 25th, but was too high to do much
damage. C. G. B.     ,
DeKalb Co., March 29.—Growing wheat ,-
looks good, but the roads are in a precarious condition. Stock wintered well, many
fat cattle being fed over. Horses are in
great demand; prices high. Health not
very good, consumption being the main-
disease. .     A. W.;
Switzerland Co., March  26.—We have '
had  a  few days of  nice spring  weather.
Wheat growing nicely;   some fields badly
winter killed.   Ground  too wet  to plow -
and roads almost impassable.   Early fruit
all killed. Seed corn scarce.   Hogs healthy,  "-?
but scarce and high.   Ohio river bank full
and farms along the river in a terrible condition. H. M. D.       ,
White Co., March 29.—Farmers busy re-   .
setting fences and working up their woodpiles.   Roads worse  than   common,  and  ■
many bridges out of fix.   Ground  is  the f
softest for years.   Early sown wheat  and '.
rye  is  looking  much  better   than   two   '
weeks ago;  late wheat still looks poor.
Hay $4 to ?5 a ton;  soft  corn,   15 cents  a  '.,
bushel;  other  corn, 45 to  50 cents; seed
oats,-35  to  40  cents.   Good  weather  on .
young stock. J. M. M.'
Posey Co., March 20.—Spring work very
much behind on account of rain and mud.
The past week has given growing wheat a
good send-off.   Wheat uninjured,  except   .'
in flooded districts, where about  a fourth
or fifth is badly injured and some killed. ■■/•
Peaches all killed in the  bud,  but  trees '.-;.
generally   not   much  injured.    Apples,
Clums and strawberries all   right;  black-
erries killed; raspberries are damaged in   '
some localities only.   Farmers are making    ■
preparation for the future with much  en-  ;
ergy and confidence.   Judging by the de-. .
mand for corn, land in the Wabash bottom -.
is to rent.   The bottom   farmers  are  not   '
fully persuaded   that  they are  not to be
swamped by general drainage.    J. B. E.
OHIO.'
Preble   Co.   March   31.—Wheat   and ,.-*•
clover badly frozen out by the cold'snap    <
in March.   Great many wheat and clover    *
plant- dead.   But little oats sown  on ac-
countofwetweather.   Roads very muddy;. '
turnpikes  in bad  condition;  too much
heavy hauling when soft.   Stock generally in good condition.   Health good.7
W. C.B.      -.
KANSAS. '"'
Sedgwick Co.—Have had an  unusually
rough winter.   Wheat has been  looking   •
bad, but the roots are not injured.   Mules
and horses high.   Stock O. K.   Land rapidly going up.   Fair  prospect  for  fruit;
peaches about half killed, but will only be "
the  better  for  it.   We have  lots of new    *
comers, more from Illinois than any other/
State, with some from Indiana.   The prohibition sentiment is gaining.   Prohibition-
prohibits in Kansas, and  will soon  be a
success in all our cities. M. J. S.    _.
mtMOVBI.
Miller Co., March 26.—Spring has not'-:',
fairly opened as yet.   We have hadjj few   A
warm clays, but  the soil is too  wet yet ter-.
work.   Very  few oats are sown.   Winter
wheat has  started to  grow, but  is badly .
winter killed.   Clover was damaged in tlie
same way;   too much thawing  and freez- .
ing.   Stock wintered well and now is held
at high prices.   Considerable acreage will'
be sown to oats if the weather is favorable.' •''•
'•.:.•■...-"     l  f x. J. s.
oonoluded on ninth facie, .