Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1885-12-16

bear toward more wholesome food
supply and consequently upon the
public health, have been recently
made in the process of refining
cream of tartar. Cream of tartar,
as is we'll known, is bitartrate or
argol, which collects in crystalline
deposits upon the bottom and sides
of wine casks during the fermenta-
ton of the wine. This tartar in
its crude state contains lime and
other impurities, which no process
of refining known prior to that
here described was able to entirely
remove. It has been possible, it is
true, to neutralize the lime to some
extent by the aid of chemicals, and
this process was resorted to In
order to procure cream of tartar In
small quantities for pharmaceutical
purposes, but it was open to serious
objection in view Of the fact that
the chemicals employed for this
purpose were not always washed
out but remained in quantities that
were uncertain and prejudicial to
its quality. The supposed impos-
sihility of removing the lime has,
accordingly, caused cream of tartar
to be classed and sold as pure when
it did not contain more than five
per cent of this impurity. The
major part. however, of that used
in commerce, or for culinary pur-
poses, contains the tartrate Of lime
to an extent much greater than five
per cent, not infrequently being
found upon analysis debased to a de-
gree equalling one-forth or more Of
its entire weight.
In a report upon the subject of
food adulteration made to the New
York State Board of Health by
Professors Chandler and Love, it is
stated that of q samples of cream
of tartar bought from dealers as pure
Is were adulterated with various
substances from 3 to SO per cent
while Of the remainder all contain
ed tartrate of lime, some as high as
1859 per cent.
The serious character of this adui-
teration is more readily appreciated
when it is recollected how largely
cream of tartar enters into the
preparation Of the food OF every
family. In connection with sod a
in baking powder it is the CHIEF
agent now employed for raising and
making light and digestible all our
biscuit, cake and other pastry, and
is besides, in many communities,
superseding the old-fashioncd yeast
for all leavening purposes, so that 1t
is employed to some extent IN al
most every meal of whic b we eat,
The amount Of cream and tarta 1
used in this country in year In
baking powder and otherwise In
the preparation of food, is estimat
ed at ten million pounds. If this
we're 80 per cent pure-a high estl-
mate-we would consume one mil
lion pounds or more of lime annual
" as a substitute for bread. So
large a deterioration becomes appre-
ciable in the deprivation of our
food of portion Of its nutritive ele-
ments, not only, but if, as is now
supposed, this excess of lime taken
into the system has a relation to
the painful affections of the kid
neys so prevalent in this country:
its bearing upon the health of the
entire community is too important
to be overlooked.
The new process by which cream
of tartar is produced 100 per cent
pure-that is, with the lime totally
eliminated,-by treating the crude
material under pressure instead OF
using any chemicals whatever for
the purpose, was the discovery ORR
ginally of a German chemist, but
has been developed and perfected
by the Royal Baking Powder COM
pany of this city, through whose
efforts a few years since in behalf
of the high standard Of purity in
food, the public was rid of the poi
sonous alum baking powders at that
time so prevalent.
The determination Of this Com
pany to place upon the market only
absolutely pure goods, and the i'm
possibility of doing this from the