Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-22

that the wholesale men are forcing each other
SO closely to the wall and running the prices 80
runously low that they must adulterate their
candy to keep up." He had never heard of
terra alba being used in molasses candy, and If
1t was. the practice was something decidedly
new to him. He had made a. much molasses
candy and taffy as anybody, but he had never
mixed any of the earth in his.
Talking subsequently with q leading retail
dealer, whose candies are famous throughout
Ohio, he expressed himself as unable to account
Tor the presence OF the arsenic In the candy.
He had never to his knowledge. and he had
been in the candy business for twenty-five
years. heard of the poison being used in the
manufacture Of the former
Terra alba was quite q large ingredient ip.the
candies Of the wholesale merchants especially
IN the pan candies and lozenges. The adutera-
ton depended upon the nature of the trade
The goods sent to the country contained Just
enough sugar to let the people know the maker
in storing up the candy had some near him.
He did not believe that he had tasted pure
gum-drop in years. Instead Of gum arabic and
the ladies. were built of gelatine or Irish moss
and enough saccharine to sweeten them. Deal
ers who had patrons willing to pay fifty or sixty
cents pound for candy could not afford to use
terra alba or anything else of the kind. He
could not understand how any body needed to
mix the earth in molasses candy, as the regular
materials could be obtained at Just as low rate
as the 6rst-named article.
Some years ago there was great row in
Boston over the fact that q firm there had been
discovered using chrome yellow for coloring
their candy. Arrests were made, and a great
litigation ensued. The accused brought experts
to show that the amount of yellow they con-
sumed was no more injurious to the public than
the sugar itself. But the colOring comes in the
higher class of candies, for which better money
is paid. OF course. he knew that caramels. as a
rule. especially in the majority Of stores, were
nothing more nor less than glucose. and people
could decide better than he whether or not they
wanted to eat that substance.
In conversation with Professor F. s. Wayne
the chemist, he told the reporter that the adult
teration in candy and food had reached an ap-
paling state One of his students at the College
OF Pharmacy recently examined some candy aud
found that it contained over % per cent of terra
alba. 1t was argued that this was deeterious
but he did not think that people wanted to gorge
themselves with dirt believing that it was candy
As far as arsenic and the earth was concerned
he could not understand how they could have
been associated. They were entirely different.
He could scarcely believe the story. The arsenic
could not have got in by means of the cOloring.
as no mineral substance could be used in that
way. Some dealers had, in order to obtain
green candies, painted them. but this was very
easily discovered. Only vegetable cOlOrs were
available, as minerals always failed. He referred
to the use of gelatine and Irish moss i'm the gum
drops. and did not believe there were any pure
gum-drops in the world. He was of the opinion
that there ought to be a law passed against the
adulteratiOn Of candy and food.