Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-04-28
NO LONGER A DUMPING GROUND,
Reforms Worked by Pure Food De.
partment Of South Dakota.

- W SVGAff 96NSNNH
1t is not generally known that the
analytical work of the pure food and
dairy commissioner of South Dakota
is lone at the state agricultural col
lege at Bookings, under the direction
of Prof. ]. H. Sheppard.
A few years ago South Dakota was
the dumping ground for all the adul-
terated and low grade goodA that
could o be sold elsewhere. The
state was flooded with spurious cider
~vinegars artifcially made and doc
tored up so that they resembled gen
uine vinegar. These were sold at q
high price and brought the dishonest
dealers a large profit. Canned goods.
such as peas, beans, corn, fruits, jei-
lies, jams and preserves. were for
merly made from low grade material
put up with glucose and s%accharine
and preserved with some strong anti.
septic, such as salicylic acid, benzoic
acid or for~maldehyde. To cover up
the inferiority the miserable product
was stained with coal tar dye in or
der to make it appear that the goods
were made from first-class raw ma
terial.
II is now almost impossible to find
any of these a~dulterated goods on the
market. Hundreds of analysis have
been made and the results have been
published and scattered broadcast
over the state. These brands have
been named and citizens have become
educated so that they refuse to buy
goods which have been condemned by
the commissioner. Moreover, the
grocers have learned hat they are
not compelled to pay for illegal goods
which have been foisted upon them
and the result is that the people will
not buy and the grocers will not stand
for dishonest and ~unhealthful goods.
The commissioner has been ham.
pered for lack of funds and the next
legislature will be asked for a liberal
appropriation. There are certain
lines of goods not put up by large
manufacturers which are difficult to
reach, such as flavoring extracts and
fountain syrups and no sooner is one
brand of spurious goods of this kind
condemned than another will spring
up somewhere else. The result is
that all kinds of cold tar dye, anti.
septics, and ven wood alcohol are
found on the market under the guise
of pure extract of lemon, banana, van
lila, etc. These need constant watch
ing and more funds are necessary to
suppress them.
An exhibit for the worlds fair at
st. Louis is now in preparation; un-
der the auspices of the national pure
food and dairy commission, for the
purpose of acquainting the people
with just what dishonest manufac-
turers are doing. Two samples of
each adulterated product are secured.
One is left intact just as found on
the dealers shelves; the other is ana.
lyZed and the results Of the analysis
are shown in a striking way.
Dishonest manufacturers are likely
to get some advertising which they
will not relish, For instance. a cor.
respondent saw a whole yard of
wooden cloth which dyed a beautiful
red from a bottle of catsup; another
yard of cloth was dyed a bright pink
ish red from -four ounces of port wine.
Four ounces of fountain syrup had
been treated successfully with four
separate pieces of wooden cloth con.
tanning one square foot each; these
were dyed, the first a brillian yellow,
the second. third and fourth being a
lighter shade and still the syrup was
not decolorized.
Another pure" extract Of banana
dyed a quarter square yard of bril-.
liant yellow and only an ounce and a
half of the extract vas used; an
ounce and a half Of raspberry flavor
dyed a square yard of cloth a brilliant
red. Another exhibit of catsup, from
which the coal tar had been extracted
and transferred to cloth, makes a bril-.
liant display. comprising almost all
the colors of the rainbow.