May 18, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



313 



Awful Adulteration of Foods. — At the last session of 

 Congress, at Washington, a committee was appointed and 

 ■an appropriation made for the purpose of conducting an in- 

 vestigation of the foods consumed by the people. Senator 

 Mason, from Illinois, we believe was the author of this 

 initiatory effort, and for the past week or two his pure-food 

 inquirj' here in Chicago has been treated to a revelation 

 along the line of adulteration that is simply awful to con- 

 template — and of course worse than awful when it comes to 

 swallowing the poisons that the adulterators have put into 

 some of the foods we eat. 



Here is a list of astonishing facts that just one day's 

 probing brought to light : 



That a commodity for sale thruout the United States, 

 and in popular use among dairymen and milkmen for the 

 preservation of milk and cream, and by bakers for the pres- 

 ervation of cream puffs, chocolate eclaires and similar 

 pastry, is a product of wood alcohol, which is absolutely 

 poisonous ; that this preparation is used by undertakers for 

 the preservation of dead bodies, and by health authorities 

 for the disinfection of buildings where virulent diseases 

 have been treated. 



That ground tarred rope has been used to adulterate 

 ginger. 



That absolutely pure flour is a rare commodity ; that it 

 is adulterated with ground stone and clay from Tennessee 

 and Georgia. 



That pure buckwheat flour is rarely to be purchast after 

 it passes thru the hands of a jobber or a wholesaler; that 

 one barrel of pure buckwheat flour is generally mixt with 

 two barrels of inferior spring-wheat flour that can be pur- 

 chast for less than one-third the price of the buckwheat. 



That nearly all powdered sugar is composed in great 

 part of cornstarch. 



That nearly all black pepper is adulterated with what is 

 known as " buckwheat shorts" (hulls). 



That retail butter dealers in this citj- daiU- violate the 

 oleomargarine law. 



That flavors sold at sodawater fountains as the juice of 

 strawberries, bananas and pineapples are chemical compo- 

 sitions. 



That pure vanilla extract for flavoring purposes is 

 almost unknown, and that the flavorings for such extracts 

 as are sold in the market are in the main derived from 

 cuniarin ; that lemon and other flavoring extracts are also 

 adulterated to a verj' great extent. 



Dr. H. W. Wiley, the Government chemist, has been 

 here to give testimony before the committee, whose work 

 is simply preliminary, as we understand it. We believe 

 that when it completes its investigations there will have 

 been compiled such a mass of evidence regarding adultera- 

 tion of foods that Congress will be compelled to enact a 

 strong anti-adulteration law in order to put a stop to kill- 

 ing people with poisonous mixtures, not to saj' anj-thing of 

 the fraudulent side of the subject, which is simply appall- 

 ing. Why, it seems there are plenty of people who are per- 

 fectly willing to sell poisons as food if thereby they can 

 onlj' put a few more dollars into their pockets. Highway 

 robbery isn't " in it " when compared with some adultera- 

 tors of foods. 



Mr. G. M. DoOLiTTlE, in the May American Bee- 

 Keeper, gives these words about new things in bee-keeping : 



"There is much of value and merit in nearly all the 

 new things put forth, when properly developt, but I cannot 

 think that the using of these things as the ' cat's-paws to 

 pull the chestnuts out of the Are,' as some do, before they 

 have settled down and become an establisht fact, and the 

 booming of them inthe reading columns of a purchast pub- 



lic publication is very greatly in advance of what used to be 

 termed ' highway robbery.' Catalog's, circulars, price-lists 

 and advertising columns are the places for booming, if such 

 must be done, and not in the columns which are purchast 

 by subscribers for their instruction and advancement." 



But it was a rather strangle coincidence that in the very 

 same issue in which was the above paragraph, also ap- 

 peared, in the reading columns, about two pages devoted to 

 booming what is called " a new hive." giving illustrations, 

 etc. Mr. Doolittle should labor with Editor Hill before he 

 " goes for " some other people. 



* ♦ * # # 



Mr. R. B. L,e.\hv and his company, of Missouri, have 

 recently been given a write-up in their local newspaper, 

 which had this to saj' in regard to them : 



" In 1883 R. B. Leahy, then a struggling day laborer, 

 made his appearance in this city; and for a time found em- 

 ployment doing odd jobs for several of our oldest citizens. 

 Soon after his arrival here he opened a little wood-shop and 

 began his life's work, that of building bee-hives and kin- 

 dred supplies. His largest and most expensive piece of 

 machinery at that time was a foot-power saw. With this he 



workt early and 

 late, and by se- 

 vere perseverance 

 he added to his 

 plant, little by lit- 

 tle, until he was so 

 fixt that his work 

 and output at- 

 tracted some little 

 attention. 



"In 1890 he 

 started the erec- 

 tion of his present 

 plant, and. being 

 short of finances, 

 succeeded in inter- 

 esting John J., 

 Jas. E.. F.M..and 

 E. B. Gladish suf- 

 ficently to form a 

 stock company, of 

 wliich he retained 

 a half interest. 

 This stock com- 

 pany was organ- 

 ized under the 

 name of The 

 Leahy Manufac- 

 turing Company, 

 with a paid - up 

 capital of $8,000. 

 R. B. Leahy was 

 appointed general 

 manager and 

 treasurer, and Ed. 

 B. Gladish, gen- 

 eral foreman of the shops. The business has been continu- 

 ously under the same management since, and the present 

 business is a sufficient proof that it has prospered. 



"Late last fall it became necessary to again enlarge 

 the plant, and a new brick addition was built, which, with 

 the new and improved machinery added at that time, doub- 

 led the capacity of the plant. They now occupy a two-story 

 brick building, 54x130 feet, thoroly equipt up-stairs and 

 down with the best improved machinery. In addition to 

 the main building they have several warehouses, their wax- 

 room and tin-shops being under separate cover. 



"In the busiest season, which is now on, the plant is 

 run day and night, and from 35 to 40 men and boys are em- 

 ployed during this period. That this factory is a great 

 boom to labor has been duly demonstrated, over $10,000 

 being paid out here last year for labor alone. Sixty-five 

 carloads of material was consumed in the manufacture of 

 goods sold last j'ear. which amounted to over $30,000." 

 « « « * * 



" Two Sweethearts of Mine " is the name of a song' 

 received by us from the publishers a few days ago, the 

 melody and words of which are very pretty. The song com- 

 plete, words and music, will be sent to an)' address for 20 

 cents in silver or stamps, by the Groene Music Publishing 

 Co., 32 East Fifth St., Cinciiniati. Ohio. Send for it. men- 

 tioning that you saw the notice of it in the American Bee 

 Journal. 



R. B. Leahv. 



