Is Eastern Butter Deteriorating!

A nutnber of butter tirms in New York li.ive been induced by Mr. Francia D. Moulton, of Beech er-Til ton notorioty, and now agent tor the Ashton brand of s;ilt, ío sigo a paper Statlutf that a Large aniount or poor butter is oiVoiütl for sale, and that tuey tw lieve it to be dtu: to Mjilg other br.uid.-i of aalt tliau Aahton's ; uUü as&ertitig, by ÚBplioutioi) at least, that the standard quality of Eastern-made butter is belAg lowered. Like some other statements of Mr. Moulton, this " won't wash," and a little analysis is iuteresting and instructivo. We do not believe that the average quality of Eustem butter has been growiiiff poorer, but we do Itelieve that the quality of Western butter has been preatly improved by the creainery syatein and the use of the latest improvementH indaiiying, including the bost aalt; and the who have allovved tltemselves to be used by Mr. Moulton must foei a sense ot Inju atice when they reflect that they incluiled fiuggin's Salt in their swoepin denunciation ot ali other kinds except Ashtun's. If they are right it is very strange that tlio butter salted with Higgin's Trize Medal iSalt took ali the premiums for creamery butter at the fair of the Northwestern Dairymen's Association, lirld ín Chicago, 20th December last, and the ñrst premium for the best dairy. These were ' D. il. Wood's Oreamery," of Iluntley, XII., Jirst premium of $1ÜU ; tho " Booth Bro.'s Creamery," ot' Salem, Wis., socond premium of $75 ; " E. 8. Houston's Creamory," of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., third premium of $60 ; and " A. J. Booth 's Dairy," ot Salom, Wis., ñrst premium for dairy butter, $50, leaving only the inferior premiums of $20, $lö aud $10 for dairy butter, to be taken by Ashton's and all the other brauds ot' salt combiued. f That this premium butter was good is provecí by the fact that it brought torty cents per ' ' IL LI -l A U 1 J ï M V ' l IV ri llU VIIV' I. V l 1. iancy Eastorn fresh tubs was thirty-three to tlikty-five cents. ïha Ashton's brand oí salt maybe as good as Higgiu's, but advocates of Higgin's brand claim that while Mr. Higgin has steadily improved his brand, Ashton's has as steadily deteriorated, and this in a marked degiee since the deatli of old Mr. Ashtou and tho transfer of the works to Messrs. Dean & McDowell, the result of which has not, it seems, been entirely satisfactory, as considerable litigatiou has resulted. Mr. Moulton is a smooth-tongued individual, as mauy persons have learned to their cost. He is able to trade on the former good reputation of a brand as long as any body, and he may be able to convince the trade that all tho poor butter in market is due to the falling off iu Ashton's salt ; but there are people who are unchantable enough to believe that it is duo to the falling off in the quality of Ashton's salt ; and the fuilure oí some persous to appreciate this soou enough to avoid the consequences of usiug it. Among these are tho two oldest and largest salt houses in this coiintry, Measrs. J. P. & G. O. Robinson and Todd & Oo., who have marketod a large portion of Asliton's talt during the last forty years, but who have, within a ttvv months past, refused to have auythmg iurther to do witli it, and aow publicly state tliat tliey believe the Higgiu salt to be superior to aïiy snit in existauce. So much ior the salt question. And now ïf our Eastern dairynien will more generally adopt the creamery eystem, with all its improved appliauces, we believe that they will not have to go to Mr. Moulton for a reason, or excuse, for uot being ablo to competo with their Western bvethren. - American (Irocer, Jan. 28, 1878.