The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-04-26
dangerous to health, as sulphuric acid
;- ID tL, tho tom lnh

A simple test for the presence OF
this adulterant is the addition to the
suspected sample of a little chloride
of barium, when, if it is adulterated
white precipitate will at once be
formed and sink to the bottom.
Pickles made with this kind of vim
egar of course are always to be avoid.
ed. Pickles of a particularly bright
green color, and looking very invit-
ing were found to contain sulphate OF
copper, another rank poison.
1t might be well to note that all the
adulterated vinegar is branded pure
cider vinegar.
SYRUPS.
In this department there are but
few samples of genuine goods. Mo
lasses should be made from the sugar
cane or from the sugar tree. In the
majority of the samples examined
each was found adulterated with glu-
cose. Some samples of "Silver Drips,
and Golden Syrup" were found
which contained absolutely no cane
sugar at all, but was composed OF
glucose, tiavoring, and coloring mat
ter, and sold at a fancy price. Glu-
cose is not of itself injurious as a
food, but it only has about one.third
part OF the food power contained IN
cane sugar syrup. 1t is substituted
for sugar by dealers on account of its
greater cheapness. thus defrauding
the consumer, being an injury not Sc
especially to the stomach as to the
purse.
This adulterant is also largely used
in factory-made jellies, preserves and
strained honey; and even the candy
we buy for our children, or our best
gill is not so sweet as it was in days
of yore, on account of the use of this
cheap article.
BUTTER.
This article of food is extensively
adulterated, even to the extent thai
lots, called butter, are entirely limo
cent of the COW.
During last fall and winter DR.
| Wright made examination both mi
croscopic and chemical, of thirty
eight lots OF butter bought at random
| He says fourteen samples were foun(
to be either "lardine," "butterine," OF
"oleomargerine," while six samples
were mixtures of butter with some
of the above authorizations.
This is an especially fraudulent
means OF adulteration, as the manu-
facturer not only makes the customer
pay for what he does not get, but
there is serious danger of the use Of
the animal fats, which are not in fiji
condition for human food. In short
it is suspected in some cases that
dead animal fat is used. Lardint
or butterine may be made out of goot
healthful material, and from fooC
not deleteriouS to human health
However, it should be sold by its
right name, and those who choose car
eat it.
Of this article twenty-eight samples
were examined. The majority
of the samples were founC
good. Of samples taken ant
one was watered. Ten sample:
from wagons, nine were found good
from groceries showed six to be up tC
the standard, three to be watered, anC
one to be a mixture of water, milk
added probably to keep the milk il
suspension. Seven samples were
taken from restaurants, Of which five
were good and two diluted, and con
tanning boracic acid compound, uSeC
as guard against fermentation.
The old maternal tradition regard
ing the use of zone cows" milk, fol
infants fed by the bottle, lead DR.
Wright to examine into that quality
of milk. A poor family was founC
who were trying to raise a Siclzly
child, six weeks old. on milk of this
reputed quality. The milk was OBJ
tained at corner grocery, and war
ranted to be from one COW, and a
double price charged. for the care in
selecting. For eight days the milk
was examined. Five days out of the
eight the milk varied in composition
so far as the amount of added water
was concerned, and also varied in re-
gard to the amount of chalk it con-
tanned. The peculiar part of the
statement is, that samples bought
from the general stock at the same
grocery by the chemist on the same
days the poor family bought theiI
one-cow milk, showed the two sam
pies to be the same in every respect
The doctor grimly remarked that
he would have continued the inyesti
cation, but the child starved to death
DR.. Wright recommends the substi.
tuition of refined cotton seed oil fol
lard, as being cheaper, cleaner and
more healthful. The chief adulterant
of lard is water, and its origin is al
times Of a suspicious nature. Nc
sample of adulteration in cotton seed
oil was found.
| SPICES.
In this department at least one.
half of the samples OF black pepper
were adulterated with varied sub
stances, one of the hardest to detect
was pepper mixed about half and hall
with buckwheat meal. Ground Gin.
namon contained red wood, and
ground mustard was largely corn
meal.