Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-04-05
ADULTERATED FOOD.
Pois0 nous stuff Sold to the Public
for the Pure Article.
In. Y. uerald.l

IN New York. and that so-called respect
able vendors OF that essential, deal in |
milk adulterated with water, flour, chalk,
salt, sleeps brains, gum arabic, annot-
to and caramel. has suggested general
investigation all along the line, and ex-
perts like Prof. Angel. OF Boston, and
his contreres have taken hold OF food
in earnest, intending to
bring influences to bear on the legisla-
lures; OF the several states, hoping for
practical relief therefrom. .,,
From facts and data in our possession
1t Is susceptible OF: proof that nearly all
the essentials of life are seriously tam
pered with, aud that the adulteration of
food Is the rule rather than the excep-
ton. The following list is carefully
prepared, and will give an idea OF the
extent to which the evil extends:
Sausages-Made of impure meats and
seasoned with Spices:
:. Bread-Mfxed: with alum, lime water
and flour ground in with lead.
Flour - Adulterated with damaged
peas, powdered alum and casein, in
which are worms, insects. acari and
smut. --'--'----'-----
i Coffee - Adulterateds with cocoanut
peas and corn
Tea-Colored with black lead and
Prussian blue.
Oysters, CLANS and Lobsters-Stale
and decaying. -....
Cheese-Colored with saffron, Vene-
tlan red, carrots and annotto, which lat
ter is often found to contain poisonous
chromates " > -t.-
Essences s-Adulterated and contami-
mated by nitro-benzole, prussic acid, oil
Of turpentine, sulphurlc acid and citric.
acid.
Sugar-Injured by putrid blood, with
which it is purified" and adulterated
with clay, sand and bean dust, with now
and then fair share of marble dust.
Cake-Flavored with oil of almonds,
containing prusslc acid.
Spices : Black pepper, adulterated
with buckwheat, caramel or shorts cay
enne pepper, adulterated with red lead.
almond shells and ginger.
Confectionery-Adu with ar.
senic. sulphate of copper, prussic- acid,
tartaric acid, fusel oil aud flour.
While there are scores OF thousands
OF consumers who never make use OF
coffee Tor various reasons, it IS doubtful
if there are many readers of the. Herald
who are not indebted to the fragrant tea
for benefits almost innumerable. Tea. -
wrote an ancient Chinaman, ''tempers
the spirits and harmonizes the mind !;
dispels lassitude and relieves fatigues !;
awakens thought and prevents drowsi-
ness; lightens or refreshes the body.
and cleans the perceptive faculties
Possibly the ancient Chinaman was
prejudiced in favor OF his native growth,
but il so there are hundreds of thou
sands in every civilized land who will
cheerfully bear witness to the refreshing
influences, the calming and soothing po-
tencies OF this Oriental beverage There
is, however. general feeling, not to
say a decided conviction, that the de-
light and benefits derived from tea
might be vastly greater if the Leaf FROM
which the tea is made could be had in
its virgin purity, undisguised, uncelored.
unauu1terated.
TEA IN CHINA.
In the land OF Pekin, Hong Kong and
Shanghai tea takes the places oil beer,
ale and whisky, and can be- had ut pub.
| lie houses on the highways The veal.
thy Chinese use it wasteiully. They
simply iniuse the leaves in elegant
porcelain cups, that have covers also OF
porcelain. The leaves sink to the bot
tom OF the cup and generally remain
there. Others beat the infusion with u
split bamboo until it loans, when both
infusion and powder are drunk with rel
ish. There seems to be no good reason
why we should not have good tea in this
country, for it is easily raised in China,
where, as an object of agricultural pro.
duce 1t takes the place occupied'by the
vine in southern Europe and the grains
IN this country. .
In spite of the cheapness OF labor and
the facility with which good tea is rails
ed in the flowery Kingdom, authorizations
have been made tor ages, are now and
probably always will be. The adultera-
ton abroad grows out of the fact that
fancy brands and peculiar colors of teas
command high prices, while the heavy
duty imposed here op the import is an
inducement that very few dealers can
resist. 1t IS not necessarily shown that
these adulterations are injurious to the
consumer. Some of them are, beyond
doubt but others are harmless. Inves-
tigation shows that millions OF pounds
OF leaves of plants, OF ash and OF plum.
are dried annually by the Chinese mid
dlemen for adulterating purposes; while
in Great Britain and protestant America
plane, fancy oak, willow, poplar, haw-
thorn and sloe are extensively used.
These leaves being ground are mixed
with gum paste. and this in turn with
leaves OF genuine tea. These mixtures
may not do harm to the body polite, but
they certainly do not contain the happy
restlul refreshment for mind and body
come The sale of exhausted tea leaves
was long ago brought to the notice of
British officials. Here hotels, hos spitals
and restaurants furnish immense quanti-
ties of partially exhausted tea leaves.
which are carefully gathered. preserved,
sold and used again by families who pay
good prices for high-toned teas. The
average tea drinker knows nothing
about his tea beyond the fact OF taste.
He orders pot OF tea, it is brought to
him, he pours and drinks. Ii i, suits
his taste he is content. But there are
men, and especially dealers, who litel-
ally examine their teas, and tor such it
is necessary to prepare the exhausted
leaves so that they will resemble. in
form and color, the original. Sulphate
Of iron, rose pink. lugwood and plumba-
go are found serviceable in these re-
spects. Logwood Stimulates strength IN
black tea and rose pink gives color and
bloom to its surface.
CASES IN POINT.
The London Times mentions the case
of parties who were arrested for manu-
featuring spurious tea. it was found
that they had an extensive furnace, be-
tore which was suspended an iron pan,
containing sloe leaves and tea leaves
purchased from restaurant Keepers The
officers discovered la ge quantities OF
exhausted tea leaves and bay leaves,
mixed with solution Of gum and copper
as. One OF the parties was caught stir
ring the leaves aud gum in pan. and
over one hundred pounds of the stuff,
exactly Initiating genuine tea, We're dis |
covered in an adjoining apartment.
These people sold largely to country
grocers. Other iuvesti cations detected |
varying proportions of starch. gum, cat
echu. sulphate of iron, black lead, tale,
china clay, soapstone and turmeric.
THE GREEN TEAS.
There is so great demand for green |
teas that the genuine article cannot be
supplied, but with characteristic inge-
I.I.s