The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-01-23
Pure FOOD And DRUGS.
Summary of a Good Years
Work by the State Bureau
of Agriculture.
sreeial 70 the Jersev 20 Nels.


State Dairy Commissioner McGnire to
the Legislature was sent to the printer
today. During the year. 2,1S6 samples Of
food, drugs and dairy products were ex-
amined, and Of that number 468 samples
were found TO be adulterated. Out of 1876
samples OF cream tartar. there were found
90 that did not meet the requirements Of
the law. There were 1862 SAMPLES Of lard,
and 50 were not pure. Out OF 80
lots OF coffee gathered all over the
State, forty Of them were bogus coffee
cans. There were frauds detected in
cans Of French peas. in jellies. honey, and
olive oil. There were ten lots OF mustard
examined and not one found pure. Out
Of one hundred aud ten samples of drugs,
mainly those purchased without a pre-
scription and universally used by every
family, forty-four samples were found
adulterated.
The Commissioners and his deputies Wis
| tied sixty-four different towns. The
amount collected for the violation Of the
milk act was $500. For the violation Of
| the oleoma-garine act $500.
HUDsoN's swILL cows.
The Commissioner makes special mem
tion OF the swill fed COWS of Hudson
ton OF the stables, and found them in a
horrible condition. The swill came from
the New York hotels, ana was as a rule
| foul and putrid. 1t was only by constantly
watching the stables tnat the sale of this
putrid milk was prevented. SO mucn Of
IL has been offered for sale, and so general
have these swill stables become that
more attention is 10 be given to the mat
ter with view of ascertaining just how
much damage milk Of this character can
do. Prof A. II. Leeds has been requested
TO make analytical examinations and re-
port later.
The Commissioner urges that more at
tention must be given to the condition Of
cows and the cleanliness OF stables. Pub
| lie health is in danger because of the
general neglect of those who keep COWS
for the dairy products.
oLEOMARGARINE.
The matter Of the sale OF oleomargarine
was treated at much length. The manu-
| facturers of the oleomargarine now color
their product with oils, and. according to
a recent opinion OF the Supreme Court,
they cannot be prosecuted where the color
of the oleo is derived from the es-
sential ingredient used in its manufac-
ture. The Dairy Commissioner holds that
| this is entirely the reverse OF what the
Legislature intended when the act was
passed preventing oleo from being col
ored tolook like butter.
There are now twenty-nine dealers In
New Jersey that haYe taken out licenses
to sell the oleo. In 1886 there were one
hundred aud forty-nine. There are now
five cases pending in the Courts.
The Commissioner is of the opinion
that most dealers show a disposition TO
conform to the law relative to aduiterated
foods. Many Of them have availed them
| selves of the new law passed last year.
which gives protection by warranty.
| Cealers in and out of this State are being
asked to protect the retailers. by signing
| the warranty, that the food sold IS pure
and that exempts the retailer from pros
ecution.
The largest percentage of adulteration
| Is in coffee, spices. vinegar, mOlasses and
| jellies. Ground coffee as a rule Is always
more or less adulrerated. commonly with
| chickory, frequently with roasted beans,
peas and cereals. Many packages are
| labelled coffee mixture" also rye cof
fee," intended TO suggest "Rio, !" but IL Is
nothing more or less than roasted and
ground rye. The New Jersey market has
| been flooded with bogus coffee, which
was nothing more than -four passed into
the shape and colored to the shade of the
coffee berry. Spices are always more or
| less suspicious. Grocers are often per-
suaded 10 buy goods of this character by
the hattering inducements of valuable
presents on bills of large amounts.
| These goods are always OF inferior
quality.
There is much adulterated vinegar on
the market, said TO be caused by the fail
| ure of the apple crop. OF the 154 samples
taken of cider vinegar, 81 were found to
be below the State standard. The imita-
tion cider vinegars are simply weak
| acetic acid colored. Many OF the retailers
water their vinegar after receiving it. A
general effort is 10 be made during the
coming year co correct this evil.
The cheap jellies, jams and preserves
are nothing more than apple pomice flaw
ored and colored.
There is a marked improvement in the
strength of drugs, owing to the prosecu-
tion of a number of druggists. The
principal fight is being made against
manufacturing chemists who are selling
tinctures to druggists for compounding
that are below the standard of the State.
A legal contest has been going on for
some time and Judge Reed is writing an
opinion which will settle whether these
tinctures can be used and whether the
standard fixed in the United States
Pharmacopeia is correct.