The San Francisco call., 1897-07-17
FINAL LECTURE At WRiGH7S.
Win Tax on The SG6jsct of
Food AdUEerdhOn.

WRIGHTS, CAL, July 16.-The third
annual session of the Highland Grange
Summer School of Economics and Hus-
5andry came to a close this afternoon
with final lecture by Professor NJ. +,
Jaffa on the subject of food adulteration.
He spoke in part as follows:
There are two main classes of food adultera-
tions. those which are harmful and poisonous
and those which are harmless and may be
called deceptives. Oecmargarine, which con-
Iains as much nutriment and is cheaper than
butter, is example OF the latter class. The
harmful adulteran1S are all the more danger
GUS because tastcless and are only disclosed
by analysis. They chiefly antisept. cs
being generally used as preservat1ves, killing
bacteria and preventing molds. In ali the
digestive juices, however are terments which
assist in the process Of digestion, and these
killed by the antiseptics and the digestive
process is thus arrested. They are OF course
especially dangerous for inVAlids and persons
OF weak digestion.
The principal adulterants of this class are
salcvlic acid, sulphurous acid, boracic acid,
formalin or callerin. The dangerous Suiphu-
rous acid is present in dried truit, which has
been sulphure to give it the light Dleached
color which is demanded by an ignorant pub
lie. This has been shown by analysts made at
Berkeley, and uncolored or un bleached irult
should always be bought in preference TO the
bieacned. The farmers understand this and
keep out enough IN bleached fruit for their
market as germicide ana preservative, but is
dangerous to be taken into the stomach 1or
the reason given. 1t is good principle to
observe not 10 introduce into The system any
elements not naturally found there, and none
of these antiseptics are found there unless
introduced by the ignorance or dishonesty OF
man.
The second class of adulterants, such as are
used in oil leomHrgarine and filled cheese, call
deceptives. They are perfectly harmless, but
their use without nollce TO the public Is a
fraud on the buyer and the honest producer.
Laws have been passed to regulate their use
and requiring all such products 10 be labeled
so that the people may know just what they
are buying. Under these restrictions there Is
no harm whatever in their manufacture and
use. Many of the spices sold ground are adul-
terated. The cause of any trouble which
arises from the of canned goods is in the
way IN which they are put up and not in
adulteratIons.
At the conclusion of the lecture Z. F..
Adams made some remarks in regard to
the work of the Summer school. He said
that people who do not take advantage of
the opportunities which are offered by
such institutions as the Summer School
and do not keep abreast OF advanced
thoughts in hus bandry will be rooted out
in the competition with their more pro-
gressive neigh bors. The race is dead in
America, he said, which was able, as it
exhausted the fertility of the soil In one
place TO move TO another. Places where
these things were understood ana rational
methods pursued were getting better
prices for their products than other COM
munities and he hoped that such might
be the fortune of this community. He
described the school as a social expert
manf