The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-09-13


the manufacturer. Therefore you
should keep In mind and insist upon
having the guarantee that the goods
furnished you comply with the nation
al law, as we'll as with your state
law.
There were one or two points In the
opening address of the president this
morning which desire to discuss
briefly. think he has misunder-
standing as to the working of the law
with regard to chemical preservatives
and their influence upon health. He
conveys the impression that boric acid
Is universally used In England. and
would lead you to infer that benzoic
acid is permissible in this state as a
preservative. l think he has mis-
judged the facts or has been misin-
formed or misled. 1t is true England
does permit the use of boric acid as
preventative, but 1t does not permit
the promlscuous use of this article in
her food products. England must from
her geographical position use many
food products shipped in from other
countries, and she seems to have given
preference to her colonies which are
a long ways from her. 1t is often
necessary to transport the products
across the tropics; she has thus come
to allow the use of boric acid as being
the least Objectionable of the preser-
walton for the purposes employed. This
Is true OF dairy products as butter,
etc.. shipped into the country, but the
use of boric acid is not permitted in
general in food products.
In this state benzoic acid Is not al
lowed in general in food products, but
the manufacturers have claimed that
there are some food products which
they were unable to make and put upon
the market without the use of preser-
natives. A few states have accepted
their statements and permitted the
use of benzoic acid or benzoate of
soda, while other states have refused
to meet their demands and thus there
has been caused more or less difficulty
In the handling of this question in the
various states. According'to our pure
food law as set forth in Bulletin 4,
benzoate Of soda may be used as a pre-
sentative in the following: in tomato
catsup, in crushed fruits intended for
use at the soda fountain, in natural
fruit syrups intended for use at thu
soda fountain, in bulk elders from
natural fruits. These are not staple
food products which we eat or take
from day to day with our every meal,
they are occasionally used, and it is
thus felt that no great harm would
come from the use of them in these
products If the use of personalities
was cut out from all other food pro-
ducts more generally employed. 1t
was further thought that benzoate of
soda would probably prove the least
harmful, but 1t is now conceded by
many that this was mistake, and It
Is possible that benzoate of soda is
more harmful in its action on the
system than was at first supposed
You Will notice in the state law that
provision was made that this section
was only effective to July LIST, 1907.
In other words 1t was only a temporary
provision to tide over existing difficui-
ties until manufacturers should have
opportunity to put their goods into
proper shape by sterilization or other
wise.
! desire to say just a few words at
this time in regard to formaldehyde
and Its sale in this state under orr
formaldehyde law. We have a good
law on this point, and the enforcement
OF the same has, resulted in great
benefit to the farmers of the state
There has been a marked improve
ment in the quality of the formalde-
hyde now sold as compared with that
IN former years, and millions of dollars
nave been saved to the state in smutted
wheat crop s by the protection afford
Ell. It's people. There has, however.
sprung up during the past year a new
difficulty, and wish to throw ont inst
word of warning to those druggists
VINO are handling formaldehyde.
For some time 1t has been observed
nat when formaldehyde polymerizes
II is no longer fit for use as a fun
gicide-where it has become badly
poiymerized-I mean by this to saw If
1t Is thick and heavy in the bottle Of
container, the product is no longer
readily soluble in water. Therefore
the strength of the solution will be
much reduced, perhaps even below the
strength which would act as a des-
troyer OF the smut. This is especially
true where the formaldehyde is to he
used after mixing with the water az
Is the case where it is generally used
ny farmers for treating wheat; hence
tne failure of such formaldehyde to
destroy the smut. There is, however.
announcer whenever one of the flakes in
suspension In the water comes into
contact with the kernel of the wheat
u Is liable to destroy the germ and
thus the wheat fails to grow. Where
wheat has failed to terminate, and this
mas been reported in several instances
aurlng the past year, l find that
farmers have used this kind of for
maldehyde. Therefore formaldehyde
which has become polymerized should
not be employed, and it is we'll for
druggists to look carefully after this
point. for 1t Is likely that farmers will
be unable to use this class of product.
Paris Green and Paint Laws.
When the Paris Green law was first
put into force in this state not a few
samples were found which contained
TOO large a. proportion of uncombined
or free arsenious acid, and the use
OF this class of Paris Green resulted
In great injury to foliage. We have
found as high. as 10 per cent of the free
or uncombined acid, while our state
law requires that 1t shall contain not
to exceed per cent of free acid. and
not less than fifty per cent calculated
as arsenious oxide.
Nearly all the manufacturers of
paints, or at least those manufacturers
who are recognized as producing the
highest grade paints and who are do
Ing business in North Dakota, have