Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-11-16

into the somach about which one should
be so careful. Cider vinegar is the only
kind fit to put upon the table or for
pickles Most of that sold to city stores
is manufactured vinegar, and is made of
various acids, some of which are very
powerful, and though diluted to condi-
tion of comparative weakness, are yet
dangerous when used continually. -Four
OF five years ago samples of vinegar were
collected by the state board OF health,
and subjected to analysis. Among
other ingredients were found acetic acid,
arsenic, corrosive sublimate, alum, etc.
White wine vinegar generally contains q
large amount OF acetic acid which though
the least deleterious of all, is yet Of a
corrosive nature.
Prepared pickles, when they present a
bright green appearance, owe that color
to the use of the acetate of'copper, or
verdigris, a deadly poison. The chemist
Mitchell says that jar of imported
pickles often contains verdigris enough
to kill one if it could be taken into his
system at once. We are glad to be able
to say that most American manufact-
urers have stopped using this article, so
that it may be looked for only in foreign
pickles, and in not all of them. The
same objection exists in regard to bottled
fruits and vegetables. Whenever that
peculiar bright green color is observable,
it is safer to give whatever it may be the
go.by.
Most of these preparations are Of En-.
Orliah manufactures ut1nh anphnVu
sauce, and purity among them is the ex-
ception, not the rule. There are one or
two American table sauces which escape
these objections, and are not included in
this list of impositions. In nearly every
one of these foreign preparations a GER
tain kind of red dirt, or earth, called
bale Armenian, is extensively used. An
alysis made show that in the preparation
of anchovy sauce fifteen pounds of bale
Armenian are used to one hundred gal
Ions, so that even the most aristocratic
Englishmen are pretty sure to eat the
allotted peck of dirt before they die.
"Of course, says the reader, ironical'
ly, of course they put something into
Spices" as If they didn't; but they do.
Hardly anything we have named is sub
ject to such wholesale adulteration as
ground spices. Turmeric, clay, gypsum
and variety. of things too numerous
to mention are used. 1t is by far safer
for the housekeeper to go to the trouble
of buying her spices whole and grinding
them at home. She knows then What
she is using, and she most certainly
doesn't without. 1t may interest her to
know that good part of the money she
pays for her ground cinnamon, for in
stance, goes fora superior quality of saw
dust. .-.......
Mustard is an article which gives the
ingenious manufacturer an opportunity
to display his skill. In the fraudulent
preparations, which we are glad to say
are getting driven out of market by an
honest article now made here, the ingre.
dients which are used to adulterate pure
mustard are clay, turmeric, plaster OF
paris, poor flour, farina ginger, cayenne
pepper and gypsum. The article IS often
used in the proportion of five ounces to
the pound.
Other seeds of a worthless character
are ground up with seeds of mustard
likewise, the pepper and ginger being
used to strengthen and flavor. The in
nocent purchaser who cannot understand
why the grocer always charges him fif
teen cents for one box of mustard anC
thirty cents for another of the same size
but of different brand, can work ou
the reason from the facts above stated.
Pepper is also subject to scandaloui
adulterations, linseed meal, mustard
husks, pepper dust, ground gypsum anC
flour all furnishing their quota to make
presentable article. This is for blacl
pepper only, which, of course, has mucl
the largest sale. Cayenne pepper il
probably the worst adulterated article il
the market.
If the various substances used to mil
with it were as harmless as those jus
mentioned, it would be bad enough, bu
some of them are deadly poison. Rec
lead, the sulphuret of mercury of yer
million, ochre, salt and real ferruginou
earth are all largely used. Salt increase
the weight, while the red lead preserves
the color and conceals the presence o
other substances. The very small quan
tity used at once is the only safeguard
connected with it, and even then ther,
are frequent cases of collie and paralysis
resulting from its employment. Minute
quantities of red lead are sufficient II
produce attacks of either.
From these facts, which have beer
carefully collected from official and au
thoritative sources, the reader will Sc,
that nearly everything that comes in I
prepared state for use as food, or for tn,
preparation of food, has been subjected
to change or adulteratiOn.
There is no question but that grea
deal of the i'll health of the present gener
alton is due to food adulteration. Tn,
taking into the system of such quantities
of clay, dirt, lead, ETC., ruins the digest
i've organs, clogs the blood, and bring
on long train of diseases. The hord
of mercenary and dishonest speculator
in the public health should be killed out
and there should be an end to the SLOW
poisoning at present going On.-BoStO'
BULLeLiny