The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-20
FRAUDS IN FOOD.
Agricultural Department Finds Eek
fensivc AduIferati0ns.

Agricultural Department Finds Ex-
fensivc Authorizations.
Washington Special lin Philadelphia Press.
The efforts OF ting agricultural commit
tee in the House OF Representatives and the
same committee in the Senate to get bill
passed in the last and in the preceding
met with soYmucha, opposition that they
We're not in any degree successful. But
p&rtment, which was directed by Congress
to look into the matter, Indicates that rnere
is ample need OF such legislation.
supervision of Professor Wiley, chief chem
list OF the department. The bulletins issued
by. the department giving the results of the
Investigations SO far made have been re-
published in Great Britain and in Europe,
and have had a decided influence on legisia-
popular interest seems to have been aroused
in the matter. There have been nine bulle-
tins. prepared, eight OF which have been
published. In talking about the matter
Professor Wiley said that he had been fairly
startled himself by the result of the in
vestigations, and he certainly thought that
there was no excuse left for opposing legis-
lation on this subject. The department has
bought its samples in the open mar
ket and the Professor says it has rarely
failed to find adulterated goods, no matter
in what part of the country the purchases
were made. The most of the adulterants
used are harmless, but at the same time
valueless for food purposes, and are used
for swindlng the people Speaking on the
subject Mr.. Wiley said:
We have purchased any number of
samples of olive OIL at 81 a. gallon. that
was in reality excellent quality of cotton
seed oil that was worth between thirty and
forty cents. Similarly We have found coffee
selling at forty cents a pound containing
Is per cent. of artificial coffee beans. These
artificial beans could hardly be told from
the genuine articles when mixed with them
lasses. and they are worth about four cents
a pound, for coffee making they are worth
absolutely nothing, except to make the
"The only way to. get good coffee is to
buy the good green beans and roast them
as they are needed. oor rt ro Pas ana ana
aroma, except in the case of some patent
roasted coffees that are coated with thin
soluble varnish that keeps In the volatile
substance. Coffee that is bought ready
ground and roasted is almost invariably
object in grinding his coffee before he sells
it except to aid in adulteration. We have
gotten many samples OF roasted and ground
coffee in. them and were made of scorched
rye and chicory Now, certain amount of
chicory in coffee is not Objectionable. The
French prefer a small amount as it mixes
well with the milk and is excellent for cafe
au lait 1 like a little chicory myself for
the heavy. oily quality it gives the coffee
but one does not want to pay 40 cents for
coffee that is made up half of chicory at
Speaking of imitation beans, however
there is no absolute protection in buying
tated. They by no means common,
however.
me articles 4 rOOu most commonly
adulterated are spices Everything from
CAYENNE pepper to cloves is matched in
color by what they call filters made of
the ground shells of various nuts. When
this Underground material is mixed with
the spice no one in the world without
microscope could tel the difference. There
Is a regular business of manufacturing
these filters. and we have set of them to
match any variety of ground spice. They
arc used in large quantities.
The Profess deplored the lack of any
sufficient legislation on the subject of food
adulteration in the District of Columbia.
He says that he has frequently bought
cream at his own house with as little as
ard should not be lower than 20 per cent.
As to milk. the Professor said that its adu1-
iteration was SO common all over the cOun-
try that he thought 1t no exaggeration to
cry year because of lack of good milk.
Spea king further on the subject he said:
THE expedients in food adulteration are
almost endless. and the laws governing the
means for enforcement. Massachusetts
and Ohio have the best laws and the best
enforced, but most States where such laws
exist allow them to lie dead on the books.
In my own State of Indiana though there
not single case has ever been prosecuted
under it,
When asked about the prospect for a
national law governing food adulteration,
Professor Wiley replied: 81 do not look for
one in less than ten or twenty years Sew
eral attempts have been made. but there
is a powerful lobby in the Capitol against
any such measure The Paddock pure-food
houses. The majority OF the honest man
ufacturerS are strongly in favor of the pure
food law. but the lobby against ii. formed
by an active minority, has a great deal OF
money and fights every inch of the