Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-04
AduIserated Confectionery.

the extract or flavoring quality Of the same
and the coloring property. To such degree
of ingenuity have the candy makers arrived,
that some kinds of their wares are put up for
the market with only very slight proportion
of the first (ald with the colorng aud flavor
ing of so cheap quality that their manufac-
tured articles can be bought at the same price
per pound ms the plain sugar itself.
1t is not to be supposed that there is no
pure confectionery. Those who purchase nt
our best and old-established places are moral
ly sure of getting a genuine article. But chill
dren do not always go to these places. They
strike for the nearest shop or store, and
where they can get the most for their pen
nies. The cheaper candies, of which hun
dreds of tons are sold every year. contain
some of the most deadly poisons known,
among them red lead. gamboge, vermlion,
chromate of lead, Prussian blue, verditer or
carbonate of copper, arsente of copper,
Brunswick green, the various oxides of iron,
white lead, &c. Terra alba kind of clay or
white earth, is very largely used in some
qualities it forms from 80 to 60 per cent of
the manufactured article.
The argument that the substances named
are used in quantities so small that poisoning
cannot result from their use is founded upon
ignorance. Some of the poisons named are
known as cumulative, from the fact that they
accumulate in the system, and that no matter
how small the quantity taken in at time,
each addition remains, the constantly grow
ing mass working slowly and silently, pro-
ducing even more deadly effects than large
doses accidentally taken, whose results may
be neutralized or affected by antidotes A
distinguished physician lately made delib-
crate statement at an annual meeting of the
society of which he was a member, that there
was no question but hundreds of children
were slain every year by cheap confection-
cry, without the real cause Of their death be-
ing known.
As we have Just stated. the article which is
most used by dishonest confoctoners is what
is known to the trade rs terra alba. II is
principally brought from Ireland, aud was
brought into use IL or 20 years ago. Its first
extensive use WAS during the war, when cream
of tartar bicarbonate of soda. pepper, ground
rice, and other articles Of domestic use rose
to double their ordinary prices Terra alba
was then worth about $40 or Slj ton. The
demand has brought it up to about double
those figures. This compound is nothing
more or less than actual dirt. In color it re-
scmblts dark -four or ground chalk, and is
Just rs injurious as if one were to eat the
same amount Of ordinary clay or dirt 1t en-
ters mostly into the composition of mixed
candies. though this does not imply that all
thutllth " lill0 NlIl NIt VIII II. lOf
some of the choicest candies in reliable con-
fectioners' stores are called mixed. ." and are
the most expensive.
Many readers who have bought the COM
mon fruit or nut candy will remember that in
letting the round pieces containing the nut
melt in their mouth the result was thick,
tasteless paste without swectIfess or flavor.
This was the white earth" which was only
frosted on the outside The cheaper choco-
late creams of which children are so fond. are
made ont of terra alba and glycerine mixed
together the glyceriue keeping the earth
soft and pasty, making it adhere so that it
will not fall apart. and then the balls are roll
ed in tallow to cool them, with sufficient
grease to allow one pound of chocolate to 20
as far as five or six pounds would if properly
made
The worst effects of the use of terra alba
are that the terrible diseases Of stone and
gravel are caused by the introduction of the
earth into the system. and the large increase
OF patients suffering from these diseases is at
tributed by high medical authorities to the
introduction of this terrible ingredient into
the confectionery and similar articles consum-
ed in this country.
Glucose or grape sugar. is the name of
another dangerous article extensively used in
the adulteration OF candies 1t is not, as its
name would imply, made from grapes, but
from potatoes, aud its effect is to produce
paralysis Of various portions Of the system,
especially the kidneys, where the effect is not
only TO paralyze them but TO turn them into
sugary substance; in other words, to produce
Brights disease, a malady for which physi-
clans have found rs yet no remedy.
The reason for the use of glucose is the
same that is given for the use of every other
adulteration. cheapncss. Gum arabic, for
Ia. Il. / IL -
cents pound. while glucose sells for or G.
Most of the cheap gum-drops are made from
this compound
More disgusting thGn any of the articles
named, though perhaps not so hurtful, are
what the cunfcctiOners term the scrapings
When a sugar ship comes into port and is
empued of her cargo, good deal of syrup
has adhered to the sides of the vessel and run
down into the bilge water. The first is scrap
ed OF, and the second pumped out, mixed to-
gethcr, and boiled. and of this compound
candy is made
We earnestly believe that as long ago as
when We were u boy all tafy was genuine
At least, we earnestly wish to believe so. Let
the boy of to-day take note, however, that
the ordinary tahy which he buys in the little
shop on the same street with his school house,
or of the old woman on the corner, is the
very poorest and worst of all the confection-
cry that is made. The whole sweepngs and
scrapings of the shop are put into it, and
what is too dirty for anything else is clean
enough for taffy There is consolation in the
thought, however, that good tafTy is made,
and can be had by paying enough for it,
Where, let the sharp boys who hoard their
pennies for sweetmeats find out.
The coloring of cheap candies, although it
would hardly come under the head of adulter-
alton il yat "a fraud and pftapti1oag "a Hopp.r-
Gus one. Instead of the cochineal fly which
the best confectioners use for the red in their
wares the unprincipled manufacturers use an
iline, powerful and poisonous color. For
yellows chromium is used. one of the elements
of which is arsenic. We have already men
toned some of the other preparations of lead
and copper used for this purpose. The yell
low in the best candies is produced by the use
of saffron.
few years ago the Massachusetts Board
of Health entered into an investigation III re-
lation to the confectionery sold in the State.
OF the 81 colOred samples examined there
were 2l specimens of yellow II of orange, 20
of red, > of brown, of green, and 1 of blue.
OF the ~ yellows II consisted entirely of
chrome yellow or chromate of lead, ? con-
tanned chromate of lead, although a vegetable
yellow also was present, and were colOred
with organic yellOws alone. Of the - speci-
mems of orange . were colOred with orange
chrome or orange chromate of lead con-
tanned an organic red mixed with chrome yel-
low, and in one the colOring matter was en-
tirely organic.
OF the % reds, % were organic three SAM
pies of n brick-red color contained iron, and
one was colored with vermilion or sulphide
of,mercury. OF the 1 specimens of blue, two
contained only organic cOloring matter, end
4. 4
rine, or silicate of soda and alumina with
sulphde of sodium. OF the seven green's,
one, pale green, was found to be organic,
six We're colored with a mixture of Prussian
blue or ferrocyanide of iron with chrome yell
low, aud one contained, in addition, arsenic
green or arsenite of copper 1t will be seen
that 3G of the Is pigments analysed contain
ed lead, one contained mercury, and one ar
senic and copper.
In group of several mounted soldiers,
gayly uniformed, the red caps and the red
,vs,a warm tla Na1lnuv nf thaiY