The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-04-29
The Milk Can and the Sugar Bowl.

try with so many expositions of frauds
connected with milk, that the public
needs no further cautions in relation to
this point. DR.. Hassall found nothing
very alarming in the contents Of the
milk jugs that he examined. There was
good evidence that the milk jugs went as
often to the pump as 10 the cows but
water is harmless except as an instru.
ment of extortion Milk is often sent to
market after it has been deprived of its
cream, aud the sky color which common.
ly belongs to skinned milk is corrected
by mingling with it very little arDotto.
Molasses is sometimes used for the same
purpose. When milk is much diluted
with water; an apparent richness is Civ
en- to it by the adn.ixture Of coadjulated
-four or starch, Magnesia is sometimes
added to correct acidity as woll as to
prevent it. The manufacturers Of arti
fetal milk, in some of our large cities,
have carried their ant to such perfection
that it is said to be difficult for faster
to distinguish the spurious from the gen.
uine. They won't probably soon learn to
distinguish them by habitua use at the
table.
Sugar, in the shape in which il is
Brought to market as staple ocmmodi
ty, is not the subject Of a great variety
Of frauds. Sand is undoubtedly mixed
with it occasionally to some extent; but
probably to q smaller extent than is sus.
pectcd by many. L: must be considered
that the mixture CT sand with sugar con.
domns it Immediately for the use of the
baker or the confectioner. Sand is
substance that admits of too ready do
lection to bo convenient instrument Of
fraud in sugar. We believe it is much
more common to adulteratc sugar with
fine clay. Flour is also mixed with su.
gar in small quantities. The sugar 10.
sect is said to be much more common in
the Muscovado sugars. But although
frauds IN sugar are not so extensive as in
some other articles, the public should be
repeatedly cautioned against the use Of
poisoned confectionery. The brightest
colors which arc given to sugar orna-
mcntS are almost invariably produced by
metallic roisons. A bright yellow is
produced by the chromate of lead green
by the arsenite Of copper blue by Prus-
sian blue red by the red oxyde Of lead.
Vegetable pigments do not produce col
ors so brilliant as the mineral pigments;
hence the preference and more general
use Of the latter. 1t is said that the
delicate favors communicated to oonfec.
toners drops, which initiate almost eve.
ry essence. are made from a preparation
of ether and rancid cheese and butter.
Almost all the articles ased for the
diet of such persons are likewise adultcr-
ated the arrow root of commerce is
more than half potato starch with mix
turc of sago. Oat meal is adulterated
with barley meal, which is neither SO
a'atabe nor SO wholesome as the former.
Honey is mixed with -four and sugar, aud
the Revaentas and Ervaleutas, which
We have seen so frequently advertised
for their extraordinary medical qualities
are made Of the flour Of beans and barley.
Drugs are likewise sbnmefully adul.
tcrated and to such an extent that the
honest druggist finds it exceedingly diff.
ficult to avoid being an innocent party to
these frauds. Almost all essences con
tain mixture of some cheaper essential
oil. The essence of peppermint usually
/ contains spirits Of turpentinc, and tho
essence of roses is adulterated with the
oil OF sandal wood. EPSON salts is mix.
cd with the sui pbatc of soda, or glauber's.
salts; cream of tartar with glass reduc-
ed to an impalpable powder, Mercury
is fraudulently combined with lead, tin,
and bismuth gentian with poisonous
acontc and belladonna. Opium is adul,
terated with great variety of substances,
such as the extract of dandelion, and
other gums. There is, indeed, no end
TO the list Of these adulterations, some
of which are exceedingly dangerous.
1t ia useless to proceed any farther
with this enumeration; We will conclude
with an extract to show that by such
authorizations one may be endange ring
tho life Of his fellow creatures, when he
is but little aware Of it -" A gentle.
man, perceiving that an attack Of collie
always supervened upon taking toasted
cheese at an inn al which he was in the
habit of stopping; and having also no.
ticcd that kitten, which had partakon
of the rind was rendered violently sick,
he had the food analyz when it was
found that lead was present in poisonous
quantities. Following up his inquiries
he oscertained that the maker Of the
cheese, not finding his arnotto sufficient
ly deep in color, had rcsorted to the ex.
pedient of coloriug the commodity with
verm ilion. This mixture, If tho YER
million had been pure.) although pernic-
ious and discreditable, was not absolute.
" poisonous, aud certainly could not ao.
count for its disastrous eff, cts upon the
system. Trying back still further, how.
ever, il waA at last found that the drug
gst who sold the vermilion, had mixed
with it portion of red lead, imagining
that the pigment was only required for
house paint. Thus the druggist sold
vermilion in regular way 9f trade, adul'
terated with red lead, to increase his
profit, without any suspicion Of the use
to which it would be applied aud the
purchaser who adulterated the arnotto,
presuming that the vermilioD was genu'
ine, had no hesitation in heightening the