The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-10-04
FOR HEA[TH'S SAKE
SEE THAT YOUR FoopSTUFFS
ARE PURE.
ADULTERATIONS ARE COMMON
Inscriptions Dealers in Large Cities
the Medium for Disposna Of
Such Goods-Purchase
at Home.

For years one OF the matters which
has received the careful attention or
the department OF agriculture is FOOD
adulteration. Who has not heard OF
the old libel on the state OF Connect.
cut-the wooden nutmeg, but there
are worse things than wooden nut.
megs. Unprincipled manufacturers
and dealers for many years have re-
sorted to adulteratIon OF foodstuffs to
increase profits. In the matter OF
spices, only a short time since the
food commission OF one Of the states
discovered among SO samples analysed
more than 30 that were adulterated.
In pepper, stems and barks were
ground in every class of ground
spice foreign substances we're added
to give weight, and in numerous cases,
particularly fiavoring extracts, the ar
ticles supposed to be made from pure
fruits, were found to be syntheucal,
or entirely artificial, preparations
from coal tar
These goods were prepared by con.
Germs that have no regular trade, but
! depend upon agents to sell goods for
them to whoever they can. 1t Is rare
ly that q reliable wholesale grocery
| house sells such goods, AS retailers
will not knowingly keep them in
stock, as they cannot be legally sold,
and some officer OF the food depart
ment OF the state Is hkely to drop into
the store at any time, conhscate the
goods and impose heavy fine on the
dealer.
A short time ago health officers in
| Philadelphia found a number Of Ital'
fans in cellar putting oil In bottles,
and labelling the same with a foreign.
| looking label An analysis OF the oil
| proved II to be mainly poor quality
| OF cottonseed oil, and the lowest
| grade of olive. Hundreds Of cases
OF the stun were traced to a city in
the middle west, where It was dis.
posed of under contract to houses who
sell direct to consumers through
agents and by mail Not alone are
spices, extracts. olive oil and sim
liar foodstuffs adulterated this way.
but the fraud extends still further.
| Cheap kinds Of fish such as hake, cat
fish, etc. are prepared and placed on
| the market as genuine Goldfish Toma-
to Catsups are made OF good quality
| OF pumpkin and given the right color
| by dye stuffs. and favored by the
use OF coal tar extracts. Hundreds of
| other articles are "doctored" the same
way II Is rarely that such artificial
goods find their way into the hands
Of regular grocers throughout the
country, but are disposed OF by con-
Germs who depend upon doing bust.
ness at points distant from their loca.
ton. and who seek protection in the
Interstate commerce law, and who
seek to dispose of their goods directly
to the consumers, as no federal or
state officer is likely to call at a pri-
vate house and make an analysis of
foods used
Ii seems that neither the national
or state laws can be so closely APP.
piled as to prevent this evil II the
masses OF people would study into this
question the buying Of foods from
others than local dealers, who are
known to be honest, would be the re.
suit. and the daily reports of people
being mysteriously poisoned by eating
some article of food would not be SO
uumC-cns