The Saint Paul globe., 1903-12-27

to produce a mixed flour is pulverized
corn starch. In the Northwest, how
ever, there has never been any extern
sive adulteration of flour.
Custom made Milk.
The various methods of manipulating
milk, to make more than a legitimate
profit out of the original product of the
cow are well known, but in this state
they cannot be extensively practiced,
because of the law which requires 31s
per cent of butter fat in milk and 20 per
cent in cream The necessity of car
rylng milk long distances to market in
warm weather sometimes rempts deal
ers to use preservatives to prevent
souring, and for that purpose formalde-
hyde is most frequently employed.
There are strict laws III Minnesota
against the use of preservatives.
Granulated sugar cannot readily be
adulterated without detection; but pull
verized sugar is quite extensively doc
tored with powdered corn starch, and
frequent cases have been detected.
Maple sugar is one of the products
most extensively counterfeited and the
real thing is almost impossible to OBJ
tain. So-called genuine Vermont
Maple Sugar" or syrup, is often manu-
factured in localities where there never
w cl0 a lid PIE lISC JluCOSO anu d
per cent of actual maple sap mixed with
yellow cane sugar and favored with
hickory bark, make a pleasing and
often undisputed compound, which
gives satisfaction to the consumer and
a high profit to the manufacturer.
Syrups and molasses are very much
the same, and DR.. Wiley, Of the United
States department of agriculture, has
said:
I,rIk1 {~,~ 4
lasses is so common as to be classed as
general"
Glucose a Popular AduIterant.
Glucose. which is very extensively
employed in the adulteration of syrupS,
is much used in compounding other
counterfeit goods. 1t is easily made
and can be produced when corn is
cheap, at as low a price as 1 cent per
pound. 1t is said by medical men that
glucose is not unWholeSome when 1t is
properly made, and when presented un-
der its true name 1t is not an objec-
tionable article of commerce. 1t can
be made to do duty in the preparation
of many different kinds of food and is
largely used in the manufacture Of
candies, jellies, linseed oil and even
to replace rubber to some extent in the
manufacture Of overshoes.
manufacture Of baking powder are nu-
merous and various, and the laws of
Minnesota require that all such goods
shall be plainly labeled to show their
exact ingredients. The enforcement Of
this law by the dairy and food depart
ment is very rigid.
Spices and condiments are perhaps
more easily adulterated than any other
articles of food. The foreign matter in
troduced is often harmless, but is, Of
course, Of much cheaper grade than
that which 1t displaceS. Ground pea
nut or cocoanut shells, wheat, bran,
-four starch, meal and even finely cut
rope are all made to do duty in mixed
spices.
Olive oil is frequently found to con-
tain a large percentage Of cottonseed
oil; horse-radish is pieced out with
turnip, and tomato catsup is increased
In quantity by the use of dried pump
kin.
Vinegars are very largely doctored,
and in some cases the added ingredi-
ents are not harmful, but the laws Of
this state require absolute purity in
vinegars that are sold as pure.
Linseed oil is quite extensively mixed
with some cheaper article and the dairy
and food department has had a great
deal of trouble with this product.
Adulteration of spirituous and malt
liquors is quite general and for some
time past the department has been de-
voting its efforts almost exclusively to
the prosecution of dealers in blackberry
brandies and other liquors that are
found to be not up to the standard re-
quired.