Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1871-07-08
Gbe Aatrp.


ton, by an almost unanimous vote:
Resolved, That the use Of all coloring matter IN the manu-
iacture OF cheese and butter Is expensive, useless, and perhaps
injurious, and should therefore be wholly discontinued"
Let the resolution be vigorously and con-
scientiously followed up by action during the
coming season, and, as suggested, the news
papers will advertise the reform us fully and
rs cheerfully us they would II reform in the
swill-milk diaries which now supply the cities
with n nauseous substitute for cows milk,
says the National Lire Stock Journal. pub
ished in Chicago. The following extract is
taken from Prof. Welch's address before
said Association:
The practice of coloring cheese was import
ed from England; and it is almost the only
British institution that we nave not rebelled
against. Let us look ut some of the objections
to this practice apart from the moral question
that is involved in it, for if the practice of
coloring cheese is not absolutely n fraud, it
certainly savors of deception. The quality of
cheese is impaired by the introduction of Il
material unlike, in its composition, the ele-
ments found in the milk. A larger amount
of rennet is needed to make II colored cheese
than one that is not cOlored. The ~caustic,
potash, alum and other chemicals that are
used for dissolving the %annotto, modifying
and setting the colors, are highly injurious
when taken into the stomach in large guam
titles, and are injurious any way to the eX-
tent in which they are employed. The an
MOTTO itself is designedly addlterated with a
large number of extremely hurtful sub
staEes, among which are several %virulent
~poisons; and with such skill are some of
these blended with the original c~oloring ma
%terial, that the art of Il practical chemist is
needed to detect them. The research of
analytical chemists and microscopes has
shown that no class of substances is so large
ly adulterated as are those that are them
selves used for adulteration. Cichory, which
is employed to adulterate coffee, is itself
adulterated with no less than ten less costly
materials. 1t is perfectly natural that per-
sons engaged in the manufacture and sale of
articles used for adultcration should become
INSCRIPTIONS in the use of substances with
which to debnse them. We can not reason
ably expect in the moral, any more than in
the physical world, that the stream will rise
higher than its source. And with what con-
s%istency, l ask, can the cheese manufacturer,
who adds annotto to his curd to give it color,
complain of that sinner over yonder who adds
red lead to his annOtto to give it weight five
are going into the business of improving eye
sight, let us be us diligent to pull out the
beam from our own eyes as to search for
notes in the eyes of others.
But there are other arguments against the
use of the material that is employed for col
oring cheese. In its preparation it is ordi-
narily heated in copper or brass kettles, and,
with no intention on the part of the manu-
f%acturer, salts of copper and zinc are pro-
duced hat are incorporated with the a%nnotto.
While it is by no means probable that any
person has been materially injured by the
amount of these substances eaten ut one time,
still we must bear in mind that more consti-
buttons are injured by slow poisoning than
there are lives destroyed by quick poisoning.
But the argument that appeals to the pock-
ct is often the strongest one that can be
urged. From the testimony of several cheese
makers, l I'm lead to believe that the expense