Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-10-04
OUR TRICKS OF TRADE.
THE CHEMIST THE MAGICIAN or
THE PRESENT DAY.

Competition the Life Of Trade, hut Not
Always Beneficial to the Public-The
Business Of Authorization systematically
Carried on-The Results.
In this era of universal enlightenment
the training Of the successful tradesman
Is much broader than that Of his prede.
cessor Of fifty years ago. The latter con.
sidered himself fully educated when he
was able to distinguish the quality Of the
different grades of the various articles in
which he dealt, and as very few methods
of sophistication and adulteration were
known, his task was a comparatively easy
one. With tho merchant Of the present
day, however, everything is different. He
can depend on his Judgment only in
very few instances. lie must know not
only how to manipulate his wares so as
to undcrsell his competitors, but he
must be continually on his guard
to make sure that the articles
which he himself buys shall be Just
as represented. He may be u dealer. In
woolens aud buy his stock from the
deacon who passes the plate in church,
yet he never neglects 10 have his samples
examined by IN expert, and analysed il
necessary. But the %strangest phase of
the whole matter is that, 50 universal has
the custom become, he does not consider
IL any reelection on his neighbor to take
this course, and If he finds that the goods
are not as represented, he thinks none the
worse Of him. after he has claimed and
secured his rebate. No branch Of trade is
free from this sophistication, and rs long
as the resulting article is not injurious to
the health Of the people, we have come to
accept it without u murmur, as an newt.
able result of competition. With such a
state of affairs, it will readily be seen that
the merchant Of "ye oldcn time would
now stand a slim chance Of success unless
he called in outside aid.
NEW ADULTERATIoN.
The chemist IS really the magician, who
today IS sought by one party to develop n
new adulteration, and tomorrow Is called
upon to analyzo the article which he has
just succeeded in adulterating. His la
boratory becomes the confessional for
merchants of all degrees, and no must be
as silent and secret as the clergyman. But
his power is greater than tho ecclesiastic,
who cannot read our thoughts, and who
may know only what we care TO tell him.
But to the chemist all facts within his
province arc accessible. If VIC are frank
with him, We can render easier the work
which VIC have fer him to do. If. how
ever, he has q suspicion that anything has
been withheld, he has but TO make an
analysis and the whole secret is d TO
him. In his realm he is king. He SAYS
to the merchant, do thus, andt bust
ness man, realizing that his only way to
success is by following such iniunctions,
does so, n is relieved for n time. Soon,
however, he learns that he Is being under
sold, and once more has recourse TO the
magician, who finds that some brother
genius has stolen his charm, and it be-
comes necessary for him 10 c%oniUre up a
more powerful one, only TO have IL, in
time, again stolen.
The following incident, related by a dis.
tinguished chemist, may be interesting,
MS showing how systematically this bust
ness of adulteration is carried on. The
gentleman mentioned was recently con
suited by a firm of oil dealers, who were
naturally anxious to learn how IL was that
their competitor was always able to under
sell them, in face of the fact that tho
chemist of their factory could not discover
any adulteration in their rivals product.
On analysis, no foreign substance ap-
peared, and the consulting chemist was
forced TO confess himself nonpluse6. In
the course of conversation he happened to
mention, quite incidentally, that the only
impurity he had been able to find was a
trace of petroleum oil, which he had con-
sidered accidental. The oil dealer inquired
the amount Of this oil present, and on
finding that it was about % per cent, inn
mediately said that tho problem was
solved. Two and q half per cent, he ex
planned. made IL q barrel of forty gallons
a diffnraNrO ~ orao esntln,, o.,I L~ aatwoot
ing this quantity Of an oil worth fifty
cents, and substituting a gallon Of an in
ferior kind worth, say, ten cents, his rival
bad been enabled to draw away almoei all
his trade.
POISONOUS DYES.
People have become so accustomed to
finding the discussion of tho subject Of
adulteration confined TO articles Of food
and drink that they are apt 70 consider
that this is the only part Of IL Of n i'm.
portance. Physicians, however, can tell
a different story. For instance, they arc
frequently consulted for disorders which
can be directly traced TO cheaply dyed
articles OF dress, and many Of tho most
obstinate cases Of skin disease are duo to
poisonous coloring matters.
Before the art Of dyeing had progressed
much most Of they dyeing colors in use
were prepared from simple vegetable cx.
tracts. Soon, however, the demand was
greater than tho supply, and the chemist
was called upon for substitutes. Step by
step he followed nature back TO her labor.
atory, and finally was able TO announce
that he could produce at will in unlim-
tied quantities q dye stuff which could
not be distinguished by any test, either
chemical or physical, from the natural
product. The substance which no had
made was aliZarine, the colOring matter
of madden, and the article from which he
made ii was common coal tar. This dis
covery worked a revolution in the indus
trial world. The path, once it had been
pointed out, was easy TO follow, and in
quick succession came tho announcements
Of now colors made from this same waste
product-coal tar-until at tho present
day any color or tint can be supplied
from It.
But here, too, the practice Of sophisti.
cation soon became n prominent factor.
until the question was, not how well can
dyes be made, but how chcaply. Tho
process Of manufacture Is d long one, and
great care is required at every step TO
thoroughly remove the powerful chemical
agents by which tho necessary changes
are brought about. Here was the oppor-
tunity for cheapening the final product.
An incomplete removal Of these chemicals
means less labor and less expense; hence
the indifferently finished product can DO
sold cheaper, Unfortunately, however,
these impurities thus left in the dye are
in most Instances highly irritating to the
skin, and when an article dyed with such
substances is worn it is very liable TO
cause trouble, especially If the skin is
chafed or scratched.-Boston Herald.
Tho Numerous Shad.
A single shad produces 100, 900 eggs,
and only about 5000 are Matched natur.
ally. BY the artificial method 08. 900 are