SPICES AND CONDIMENTS. 151 



which is of the greatest value and often reveals without additional 

 means the presence of foreign materials. Many adulterants are not 

 ground as fine as the spice to which they are added, and by passing 

 the substance through a sieve of from 40 to 60 meshes to the inch the 

 coarser particles remaining will either be recognized at once by the un- 

 aided eye or with a pocket lens or the microscope. In this way turmeric 

 is readily separated from mustard, and yellow corn, mustard hulls and 

 cayenne from low-grade peppers $ in no case was the aid of more than 

 an ordinary pocket lens necessary for subsequent recognition, although 

 higher powers of the microscope were confirmatory. 



Without entering here into the practical manipulation of the micro- 

 scope, it may be said that for the purposes of the food analyst it is only 

 necessary to have a stand of good workmanship, not necessarily, though 

 preferably, furnished with substage condenser, but supplied with Nicol 

 prisms for the use of polarized light. Objectives of inch, half-inch, or, 

 for some of the starches, one-fifth inch equivalent focus are sufficient. 

 One eye-piece of medium depth is also enough. It is also desirable to 

 be provided with a dissecting microscope for selecting particles for ex- 

 amination from large masses of ground spice. For those who can afford 

 it, the large stand of Zeiss made for this purpose proves most useful, 

 but simpler forms or even a hand lens will serve perfectly well. 



For smaller apparatus it is unnecessary to provide anything aside 

 from what is found in ordinary laboratories. A few beakers, watch 

 glasses, stirring rods, and specimen tubes, with bottles for reagents will 

 be sufficient in addition to the ordinary glass slides and cover glasses. 



The reagents which are required include, in case no permanent mounts 

 are required : 



Alcohol, strong. 

 Ammonia. 



Chloralhydrat, solution 8 parts to 5 of water. 

 Glycerine. 



Iodine solution : water 15 parts, iodide of potash 20 parts, iodine 5 parts. 

 Water, distilled. 



Schulze's reagent, a mixture of chlorate of potash and dilute nitric acid pre- 

 pared as wanted. 



Balsam in benzol and glycerine jelly are desirable for mounting 

 media and some sheet wax for making cells. 



In addition the analyst should supply himself with specimens of whole 

 spices, starches, and known adulterants which can be used to become ac- 

 quainted with the forms and appearances to be expected. It is easier 

 to begin one's study in this way on sections prepared with the knife 

 than upon the powdered substance, and it is often necessary to refer 

 to them for comparison in the examination of trade samples. 



PHYSIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE IN THE SPICES AND THEIR ADULTERANTS. 



The vegetable tissues which made up the structure of the spices, and 

 the material of a vegetable origin which are added as adulterants, con- 

 sist of cells of different forms and thickness. Those which are most 



