The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-02-06

per in ten of them. Many of our
flavoring oils, syrups, jellies and pre-
served fruits contain poisons. The
adulterations of tea are too numerous
to mention. Coffee is not only adul-
terated, but a patent has been taken
out for molding chicOry into the form
of coffee berries, and I am told that
clay is now nodded and perhaps flavor
ed with an essence to represent coffee.
Cocoa and chocolate are adulterated
with various mineral substances. -.
Several mills in New England, and
probably many elsewhere, are now en-
gagged in grinding white stone into q
fine powder for purposes of adultera-
ton. At some of these mills they
grind three grades-soda grade, sugar
grade and flour grade. 1t sells for
about half cent pound. Flour has
been adulterated in England. and
probably here with plaster of Paris,
bone dust, sand clay, chalk, and other
articles. I am told that large quanti-
ties of damaged and unwholesome
grain are ground in with flour, partic-
ularly with that kind called Graham
flour. Certainly hundreds, and proba-
bly, thousands, of barrels of "terra-
alba" or white earth, are sold in our
cities every year to be mixed with
sugars in confectionery and other
white substances. I am told by an
eminent physician that this tends to
produce stone, kidney complaints. and
various diseases of the stomach. A
Boston chemist tells me that he has
found seventy-five per cent of terra
alba' in what was sold as cream of
tartar, used for cooking. A large New
York house sells three grades of cream
of tartar. A Boston chemist recently
analysed a sample of the best grade
and found fifty per cent of" terra alba
in that. Much of our confectionery
contains thirty-three per cent. or more
of tsrra-alba." The cOlOring matter
of confectionery frequently contains
lead, mercury, arsenic and copper.
Baking powders are widely sold which
contain large percentage of terra
alba" and alum.
1t is not water alone that is mixed
with milk. Thousands of gallons, and
probably hundreds of thousands, are
sold in our cities which have passed
through large tins. or watts, in which
it has been mixed with various SUBJ
stances. Receipts for the mixture can
be bought by new milkmen from old,
on payment of a required sum. 1 am
assured, upon what I believe to be re-
liable authority, thousands of gallons
of SO called milk have been, and prob
ably are, sold in this city, which do
not contain one drop of the genuine
article. Large quantities of the meats
of animals more or less diseased are
sold in our markets. Cows in the
neighborhood of our large cities are fed
upon material which produces large
flow of unWhOlesOme milk. Poultry
are fed on material which produces un-
wholesome eggs. Meats and fish are
made unwholesome,f frequently poison
Gus. by careless and cruel methods of
killing. A California chemist recently
analyzed many samples of whisky
purchased at different places in San
Francisco. He found them adulter-
ated with creosote, salts Of copper,
alum and other injurious substances.
He states in his published report, as
his opinion that there is hardly any
pure whisky sold in that city. A gen.
tleman recently purchased from a
prominent Boston firm a cask of pure
sherry wine for his sick wife. His
wife grew worse. He had the wine
enalyzed, and found there was not a
drop of the juice of the grape in it. An
eminent medical man of Boston said
to me: "The adulteration of drugs in
this country is perfectly abominable. +"
I say that laws should be enacted and
enforced prohibiting the manufacture
and sale of these poisonous and dan
geroas articles under severe penalties.
and compelling the manufacturers and
sellers of adulterated articles to tell
buyers the precise character of the
adulterations.