A HIGHER STANDARD FOR THE FARMER. 963 



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ates ulcers. The adulterated stuff is murderous. In porter you will find opium, henbane, 

 capsicum, cocculus indicus, copperas, tobacco, and sulphuric acid. In beer, alum, opium, nux 

 vomica, green copperas, vitriol, sub-carbonate of potash, and jalap are used. Of course, ale 

 of this character is dangerous to drink. If you don t believe me, drop in at any of the beer 

 shops near the wharves of the East or North rivers and drink one of their schooners that 

 are sold for five cents. If it does not produce complete nausea it will surely cause intoxica 

 tion. Cocculus indicus is used largely in this kind of beer. It is used to give strength to 

 the beer. It is a small berry, very bitter, and of an intoxicating character. Three grains 

 will produce nausea and intoxication ; ten grains will throw a strong dog into convulsions. 

 Now you can understand how strong men, after drinking beer dosed with this poison, lose 

 for a time all power of locomotion. Pox-glove and henbane are used for about the same 

 purposes as cocculus indicus. Jalap is used to offset the astringent qualities of acids. Oil 

 of vitriol is used to increase the healing qualities of liquor, wormwood is used for its bitter 

 and stimulating qualities, green copperas gives porter a frothy head, and the drinker as 

 well. Slacked lime is also to be found in adulterated porter. 



We see very little of any kind of wine that is pure in this country. The champagne 

 district in France is not able to supply us with more than a tenth of the amount of wine manu 

 factured there the remainder being held for European nations. We import more alleged 

 champagne than the champagne district produces, consequently we get a bogus wine. 

 Madeira is made here by extracting oils from whiskey and subjecting them to a chemical 

 process, in which carbon is the principal agent. In astringent wines you find alum, Brazil 

 wood, oak sawdust, lead, and copperas. Sugar of lead and arsenic are also used in wine. 

 In the manufacture of one brand of Port, the washings of brandy casks, coloring made of 

 elderberries, logwood, salt of tartar, green dragon, and tincture of red sanders are used. In 

 pale sherry sulphuric acid, prussic acid, and alum are among the harmless ingredients used 

 to give color and the appearance of age. 



As to lager beer, I don t suppose that there is a solitary brewer in New York who will 

 have the hardihood to claim that he sells genuine lager; I doubt if a sale could be found for 

 it. Why ? Because pure lager loses its head, looks flat almost immediately upon being 

 exposed to the air. The froth on beer which finds ready sale is produced by artificial means. 

 I do not suppose, however, that lager is as dangerous to drink as other adulterated liquors, 

 although I know that at one time large quantities of tobacco stems were used in many 

 breweries. I believe that tobacco is still used in the alleged lager sold at the rate of five 

 cents a schooner.&quot; 



Use of Tobacco. Besides being an exceedingly filthy habit, the use of tobacco in 

 any of its forms is very injurious, the effect of tobacco upon the animal system having been 

 carefully and critically studied by experimenting with nicotine (the oil of tobacco) upon ani 

 mals, it being a deadly poison, and one of the most powerful nerve poisons known, the 

 effect being tetanic convulsions followed by paralysis, and death through failure of respira 

 tion. The pulse is at first lessened and afterwards quickened, and the pupil of the eye con 

 tracted. The effect of tobacco can be very easily tested upon a toad or frog. By moistening a 

 small quid of tobacco and placing it. in his mouth death will ensue in a very short time. In 

 man, when taken in sufficient quantity to show poisonous effects, tobacco produces giddiness, 

 faintness, intense nausea, followed by vomiting and great feebleness, and general relaxation 

 of the muscular system, as many a young man has experienced when first commencing to 

 smoke or chew. The skin becomes pale and moist and the pulse feeble. If taken in suffi 

 cient quantity these symptoms would be greatly intensified and even cause death. Extensive 

 internal application of tobacco will also cause death, as has been known in cases of young 

 lambs and calves being washed in too strong a decoction of it in eradicating ticks and lice. 

 The effect of tobacco upon different persons differs according to the temperament, their sus 

 ceptibility to poisons, etc., habit making a vast difference with regard to the effect of the 

 dose, the same as with opium, arsenic, and other poisons. A dose taken for the first time 

 might be sufficient to cause death, which if taken after the habit were gradually established 

 might produce no visible effects whatever. Dr. E. Curtis states as follows respecting the 

 effects of the continued use of tobacco upon the system: &quot;Chronic poisoning by tobacco, 

 such as occurs from undue indulgence in the weed as a luxury, shows itself in dyspepsia, the 

 smoker experiencing loss of appetite, especially in the morning, dry, foul tongue, and thirst; 

 and in nervousness, as evinced by a general physical and mental restlessness, with undue 

 susceptibility to external impressions, and by tremulousness of the muscles and palpitation or 

 irregular action of the heart. With smokers, also, a form of chronic irritability, and even 



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