The Penn's Grove record., 1895-05-03
FOOD ApULTERATIoNS.
Not Nearly So Prevalent Nos as II
Once Was.

Not Nearly So Prevalent Nos as II
Once Was.
One Of the most benefcept Of Ser.
vices beng rendered mankind BY the
chemical laboratories through State
Boards Of Health and the Agricultural
Department at Washington, ts the eSr
position Of fraudulent food prepare
lions. A grand effort has long been
made . get manufacturers to mark
packages with labels that tell no lies.
Fos instance II q man proposes to take
"molasses, water and any odd tasting
herb." each separately, he should have
that privilege, and also the n OF tax
Ing sarsaparila as he pleases. He
should not be obliged to use his faith
In mans honesty when he drinks tho
Hrst connection under guise Of the Sec
ond, fer the iodide Of potash it 10 likely
10 contain may make his digestion moro
Tanky than before.
Nor should any of US be compelled to
swallow sawdust under misrepresenta-
ton. "A peck of sswdust," may now
well be said to be a mans limit 1t Is
/ greater faYorits with the mixer than
sticks and stones" barks, husks, char
coal, exhausted tea leaves, -four, paste,
etc. However, thanks to the energy Of
the various health departments, there
Ia much less pernicious ad~ulteration
'praetieed than formerly. Laws and
regulations are enforced more careful.
", the polariscope and the microscope
now strike terror to the soul Of the con
octer Of beverages and foods.
II Is hard to believe that the best tea
can be injurious. But 1t has been the
most abused Of all such goods, for
which thanks are due the willy Chinese,
1t behooves us to make tests by exam.
ming The leaves after soaking. A gen.
nine tea leaf will be firm and tough
when picked up with a pin. 1t is long
and pointed, and with delicate veins
topped along Its edges. The latter 10
an important means of Identification.
As many as thirty-two kinds of leaves
have been passed of as genuine. Ash,
plum, oleo, elder, hawthorn, willow,
hlum, wisteria, camellia, and other
leaves, with graphite, Prussian blue
indigo, turmeric. gypsum, and iron Ill
lngs, to add flavor and weight, are
,ome Of the Ingredients which unsus-
pecting purchasers buy, brew, and i'm.
bibe. Add to these recolored and re-
favored exhausted leaves, and one does
aot wonder nerves and digestion be
ome cranky"
Coffee follows IN the wake Of tea,
nth the addition Of various hard sub
stances, like sawdust and husks, rye,
peas, beans, carrots, acorns, roots, etc.
One ofthe NEST successful limitations Ia
The making from -four paste the actual
counterfeit Of the coffee bean. So per.
feet Is the little form turned out and
Favored that q very bright inspector
was completely befogged until he
brought his microscope to bear upon It
A good test is 10 soak a pinch of ground
|toffec In cold water. Ad~ulterations will
fall to the bottom. The pure article
floats. Great opportunity for deception
- afforded in all ground materials, SO
that to use coffee In the bean may save
some trouble. Because It is used as an
hntidote for certain poisons, adultera
Ions should be made a penal ofrense.
Chocolate, being d manufactured ar
ticle, Affords excellent means Of fraud.
The best article Is neither gravelly nor
TASTY when mixed with water.
One danger in pure (D white flour Is
the alum used to whiten. Undoctored
nour 10 not perfectly white. and house
keepers would send q purer bread to
the table II they were willing to foregn
the wilderness and take a -four Of nat
urai color. Alum Is likely to cause
dyspepsia and a general disorder Of
the stomach. Carbonate Of soda Is
largely used to doctor d low grade Of
1our. Obviously, the Tower chemical
dement's administered to our stomachs
he better health we are likely to have,
and certainly the stan Of life should
not DO 0verdosed with acids for the
wake Of q little difference in colof.
The microscopic examination Of sam.
pies Of spices shows as great a per
sentage OF sophisication as almost any
ether product, unless n be certain
drugs. Every conceivable substitute
b used 70 make up 4 compound Of
spica, ostsnsfbiy pure, but alasl In real.
IT. Scarcs a third pure. the rest any.
thing from ground sawdust to pulver
lied brown bread Here the only 70
sort for outwitnns such practices 10 to
supply the Kitchen with 4 spice mill,
purchase the whole berries or beanA
and refuse 20 feed the family on ind.
sestible chips OF huska An authority
assures 10 that sugar is generally pure.
Rigid inspection prevents frauds for.
ueriy practiced-
The canning Of goods has been vastA
improved Of late years through the on.
rgy Of the chemists Of the Department
" Agriculture, under Or. Wiley. 90
much Adulteration and preserving were
Used that every bulletin showed almost
universal sophistication Poison from
lead tops 10 now almost wholly avoided,
while q purer tin Is used for the cans
the sulphurous and salicyiic acids for
lnsuring preservation are more care
fully used, at least on this side Of tina
Atlantic, France being the greatest
tfender for many ysars.
The magnitude Of the canning trade
nakes # imperative that housekeepers
should examine ali such foods befors
Seing consumed.
No can should hold It's contents after
being opened. The air Immediately
begins the chemical action upon the tin,
Ind fermentation and putrefaction
vet in Immediately. A good. pure ia
roc sh0aid alone b noticed upon open
~ 1rha rana eh6uid nok iook duIl Ard