FERTILIZER CONTROL STATION. 373 



must determine for himself whether this gain will render the use of 

 ice profitable. 



(3) The fat seems to separate from the milk as complete!}' in 12 

 hours as in 24 when the milk is set at 48° or below, but at higher 

 temperature there is considerable difference in favor of 24 hours 

 setting. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



ADULTERATION OF MOLASSES. 



Earl}' in June of }8i^6 three samples of molasses were sent to the 

 Station b}- a merchant doing business in Maine, with the request that 

 they be examined for the presence of tin. Tin was found in appre- 

 ciable quantity in two of the three samples. Later five more sam- 

 ples of molasses were collected in this State, in four of which 

 tin was found. This indicates that tin exists in molasses quite gen- 

 erally at the present time. The claim is made that tin is introduced 

 into molasses in the form of the chloride (muriate), the object of its 

 use being to lighten the color of the molasses and thus improve its 

 appearance. It is also stated that a portion or all of the tin thus 

 introduced separates from the molasses, the completeness of this 

 separation varying greatly in diflferent cases, without doubt. That 

 which remains in solution does not seem to be enough to produce 

 immediate poisonous etfects, although it is possible that the continu- 

 ous presence of tin in human food might prove to be injurious to 

 health. Three grains of chloride of tin are a sufficient quantit}' to 

 act violentl}' upon the organs of digestion, but even if we were sure 

 that all the tin in molasses remains in the form of the chloride, a 

 person would be obliged to eat a large quantity of molasses at one 

 time in order to poison himself. At the same time, it is undoubtedly 

 safer and wiser to eat molasses free from tin, and so it is considered 

 that the presence of this metal in one of our common articles of food 

 is a matter of some public interest. 



The sugar of molasses consists of two forms, at least, viz., su- 

 crose^ or the ordinary granulated sugar, and glucose, a difficultly 

 crj'stallizable sugar not nearly as sweet as sucrose. The sweeten- 

 ing power of molasses is diminished by increasing the glucose at the 

 expense of the sucrose, which would be the case whenever molasses 



