News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-11-16
ADULTERATED MILK,
BANNER IN WHICH THE IACTEAI
FLUID Is ''DOCTORED.0

hANNEN IN WHICH THE LACTEAl
FLUID Is "DOCTORED."
The Action Taken by the Health Board O
New York City to Suppress the
| Evil Practice.
A Herald reporter has been inter
viewing the President of the New Yorl
Health Board about the adulteration o.
milk. A large number of dealers have
been arrested and fined in sums of from
$40 to $500.
From what State does most of the
impure milk come ?" asked the reporter.
"New Jersey. A great deal comes
from New York, but via Flew Jersey.
The Erie and the Midland railroads
bring more milk into New York than
any other roads. The milk comes in in
forty-quart cans. This is the best way
to bring it, as it is not SO likely to sour.
The bottIing associations realize this,
and do not bottle the milk until it ar
rives in the city,"
"Where does the tampering of the
ullR Jake place mOSG
''No doubt the farmers do some of the
skimming and watering. No doubt also
that there is certain amount of tam
pering with the milk in transit by EN-
ployees. The milk dealers likewise do
a great deal of it. Train employees, I
have no doubt. sell cream which they
remove from the cans. have had Off
GERS watching the doings at certain
depots, and they discovered that some
car hands did remove small quantities
of cream and give them to other parties,
who carried the cream away. Milk
dealers have from time to time made
complaints that their milk has been
tampered with at depots. One milk
dealer was so much annoyed that he
sent men up to the country and had the
milk tested. 1t threw up ten per cent.
of cream. The same milk upon its ar
rival to New York threw up only six
per cent. of cream. He complained to
the officers of the road, and the milk
ca ne down just the same as it was when
it left the country. After a while it
dropped off again"
"How do the dealers manage to mix
the milk with water p
"They carry water in cans and mix
it with the milk either while waiting for
or coming over on the boats. When
questioned what they carry water for,
their excuse has been to wash out the
cans. -Four years ago we had officers
who caught them in the very act of
mixing. There is on ali average twenty
cans to each dealer. As each can holds
forty quarts, that is 800 quarts for each
dealer. He in turn distributes the milk
TO between forty and fifty retail dealers.
These sell by the pint or quart. The
smaller groceries sell by the pint, half
pint, three cents worth and penny
worth. Where we find the milk one or
two per cent. adulterated we do not, as
a rule. make arrests, unless the offender
persists in selling it after due warning.
In one case to be tried complaints were
made of the poor quality of the milk.
| Upon examination l found it didn't taste
right. One day I found it two per cent
adulterated according to the lactometer.
Analysis showed the adulteration to be
eight per cent. Even where the milk is
only one or two per cent. adulterated
its quality may be very poor, as for in
stance, if the water put in it is impure
or infected. The lactometer never in
dicates as high as the analysis. If the
lactometer indicates that very rich milk
is aduIterated three per cent, know
that as the milk stood as high as 120
when received from the COW, the actual
adulteration must be over twenty per
cent
"We have affxed a low standard SO as
to do justice to every one. There are
COWS in first class condition and others
whose milk is of lower quality. We
therefore take the lowest standard
namely, 100. There is not, under these
conditions, the slightest chance of our
being deceived or of injustice being done
to any one. There is not dealer in
milk who ought not to know the law.
1t reads that it is an offense to expose
or offer for sale impure milk. If the
dealer gets his milk from creameries he
| takes his chances. If a creamery enters
into an agreement to send so much milk
day to q dealer, if there is enough
good milk it is sent, if the good milk
runs out the poor milk is sent. Dealers
therefore must take their chances. They
should buy their milk from farmers,
who are not so likely to adulterate milk.
The purpose of a creamery is to make
butter, and it would lose money if it
was simply to send out the same milk
it received. Whenever milk enters a
creamery it is going to leave some cream
behind. Milk is either topped, hall, and
half, two thirds, or thoroughly skinned.
Topped milk, by which is meant milk
from which a cup or so of cream is re-
moved, throws up per cent. of cream;
half-and-half, to 6 per cent; two
thirds,3 per cent; thoroughly skinned,
not more than l per cent. The average
good milk has per cent. of fat; topped,
% per cent; half-and- half, 2.5 per
cent; two thirds, 1,5 per cent;
thoroughly SKINNED, 0.5 per cent"