The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-12-06
Authorizations. 4

Authorizations there are, of course, which
are dclcterious, but such are exception ral
he distinctions, then, or general clas ill.,
! cation made OF adultcralions, arc those
which are delctcrious, fraudulent, and acci-
dental. II II bottle Of swcct-oil is purchased
at Il low price OF Il third class grocer, it may
be quite positively asserted that instead OF
dressing su!nd with the fluid derived from
the olive, it is the oil Of the cotton seed
which enters most largely into the compo-
| slti0n. This is, thea, a fraudulent, and
not dcCtcrious adulteration. In cXamin-
| ing the latest and best prepared tables Of
adultcratcd foods. where the poisonous
things nrc labeled, this suspicion enters into
ones mind whether by that chemical an,ly-
sis the presence Of mineral and metallic
salts were not due, rather, to the accidents
OF preparation. The cry about alum in
bread, and Of sulphatc Of copper, has been
| often raised, but one of thc best authorities
on the subject, DR.. Sharplcs, seems to
doubt Of its prevalence in the United States.
{ ! hat bread is adulterated with potatoes,
however, is very positive. There can be
nothing specially hurttul in potatoes, but it
is nevertheless fraud, as it increases by
weight of water, the weight Of bread, and
money ID paid for something which docs
not present tho proper propnrton of nutri-
tive elements. The adultcration of coffee,
it is believed, is almost constant when pre-
pared collector packing coffcc-is used
That peas, roasted ryoj ground nuts, and
caramel make up tho bulk of The supposi-
titious mocha can be easily shown. The
use of chicory in coffee has been so long IN
use that il no longer can be classed as an
adutcra,ion. In France there is hardly
a ffnn la inl,. INi,
modicum OF chicory. Even the Arabs,
not drink, according to Mr.. Palgrave, their
mocha pure, bit AID saffron and some
spices to it. Oh course, the rascallty in
the business exists all tho same III selling
an adullcra,ed article for the pure coffee.
An increase Of weight in the roasted bean
or in the ground substance is often accom-
plished by stcnmingt the grains or the
grounds just prior to selling it. In sugars,
adultcratlons Of any kind are exceedingly
rare. The noise made some six months ago
III New York as to ndniXture of foreign
matters in sugars had no possible founda-
tion. Sanding sugar is more English than
American III practice, and possibly Is very
rare even in Great Britain. In coarse
brown sugars such rs arc used by retiners,
some slight quantity Of mineral impurities
arc found, but their presence is due quite
positively to accident. In teas, the worst
we can expect is to use over again q tea
which has had its aroma drawn out of it
in China. Occasionally something is
brought into this market which is derived
from quite another source than the tea
plant, and it is possible, from tho coorng
or dressing, that some people might be de-
celved by it. One casy-lcst of Il tea leaf is,
after macerating ii, to break it; then silky
iilnmcnts appear, which hold one broken
part OF tho leaf to- the other. EVERYBODY
ought to know that the Chinese, in their
green tea, color tie sraf, ana tlIuL rnro,,a,.
blue is used. 1t is in specs that the mcsL
frequent ndultcrations are to be found,
though we can hardly call them dclet crous
In pepper, especially If bought ground,
there is mostly some mustard and insccd-
meal, while with the ordinary spices, when
puvcrizcd, as bought in the shops analysis
mostly show flour or ground shipbrcad, or
cracker-dust. The great staple mustard,
when purchased under tho name OF one or
two English manufacturers, is fairly good,
and may be used either for the tables or,
what is most important, for medical pur-
poses, but too often this condimcnt is q
compound of a very little mustard with Il
S5'Su' NNo' " Su'ihSiiS1 Gay CiJlC pCppCt,
and some very low-priccd grades of ginger
In canned preparations, let it be said to the
credit OF the American manufacturer, adul-
tcrations, deletcrious or fraudulent, arc of
the rarcst occurrence. They may be coarscly
or inclcgantly put up, but u long series OF
! careful searching, undertaken to discover
fraud in them, has resulted in their assert
ing their purity. What is intended, then,
by giving somewhat in detail the facts in
regard to some few common articles in or.
dinary use, Is to assure timid people that
the largest proportion Of adultcrated articles
really do no great harm so far as health is
concerned. But when adultcrations of milk
take place, subject which should be
treated at length, then the case is most
grave one. In large city, where the life
and health of our children depend upon the
milk taken, the least weakening of the
milk, the lowering of its nutritivc standard,
the slightest tampcring with it, is among
the worst Of crime.
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Count Do ClInnlinrd