The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-05-10
All We Eat Is AduIterated.

CHICAGO, May 3.-According to I,r.
ii. w. Wiley. chief chemist of the de-
partment of agriculture, who was
called to the stand to-day TO testify
before the Senatorial pure food invcs-
tigating committee. now in session
here, fully 30 per cent of the articles
OF food and drink manufactured and
used in this country are frauds. All
kinds of dairy products, he said, as
well a. nearly every variety of condi-
mcnts, including even coffee in the
berry, were adulterated.
DIR. Wiley was the first witness be-
fore the committee, which opened its
first session to-day in the Grand Pacific
Hotel. Senator William T.. Mason.
chairman, was the only member pres
cnt. Senator Harris will not arrive
until tomorrow, aud Senator Wctmore
Is i'll. In his testimony before the
committee DR.. Wiley gave in detail
the methods of manufacture in adul.
terating different articles of food.
In milk, according to his testimony,
the most common practice is tn ; alb
straction of the fatty substance in
taking away the cream. A common
practice among dealers he said, was
the adulteration With water, and in
addition to this, prcscrvativcs arc used
in no small extent to prevent the liquid
from souring.
In the butter the common way of
defrauding the public, according to
the testimony. was the adulteration of
other fats, both animal and vegetable,
for the natural fat of the milk. Both
cotton seed oil and high grades of lard
were employed in this work. Honey,
DIR. Wiley said, probably was more
abused article in the line of adultera-
ton than any other.
The principal method of adultera-
ting lard is the mixing of vegetable
oils with the natural fat of the hog.
Fats and oils, he said, instead of being
injurious to the health, are wholesome
to great degree. All kinds Of pure
oils, he said, were heating to the sys-
tenn as we'll as great aids to digestion.
Another fraud, which is carried on
to very great extent, is the selling
Of cotton seed oil for olive oil.
Probably among all the foods men
toned by DR.. Wiley none attracted
greater attention than the adulteration
of coffee, even in the berry. Accord
ing to the witness, in recent investi-
cations he had found molasses and
-four moulded into berries, colored,
mixed with the genuine, and sold as
high grade coffee. According to DIR.
Wiley, there is very little pure beer
made in this country. Fully 20 per
cent Of the beer which is sold in this
ountry is made Of some other article
than malt. In regard to the extensive
uoO oA SiuCoSC, WiCuc6S Sdlu t0aC IL
was not Objectionable for food pur-
poses if used in moderation.
Very little pure jelly is manufac-
tured according to the witness.
There is also a great amount Of
adulteration in the manufacture of
vinegar.
DIR. Wiley said that Vermont maple
sugar was manufactured in Davenport,
Iowa, out of brown sugar and an ex-
tract of hickory bark, and it was not
aeieterioGs. In fact, he said, it was
impossible for chemists to distinguish
the two. The sugar was the same, and
the natural ether that gave the maple
sugar it's flavor and the distinctive
quality was too infinite to segregate in
an analysis. The extract. of hickory,
he said, was about the same as the
naples flavor.
Spices, he said, were adulterated,
and peanut shells were palmed off as
ground cinnamon.
- The life Of an editor in Servia is
not delightful one. Within the past