SUBSTITUTES AND ADULTERANTS. 21 7 



the specific gravity of chicory being also much lighter 

 than that of coffee. 



All of the pseudo patent or proprietory ground coffees, 

 put up in bulk or packages, and recommended to the 

 consumer by high-sounding, seductive names and attrac- 

 tive labels, which are annually palmed off in such vast 

 quantities, consist of nothing more than a combination 

 of these adulterants with genuine coffee. So much so 

 that it may be safely said that wherever grinding is done 

 it may be safely set down that more or less adulteration 

 is practised, the ground coffee being put up in packages 

 or in bulk form. The average basis for the compound 

 being composed of the following proportions to every 

 1,000 pounds : chicory, lOO ; rye, 200 ; peas, 400 ; coffee, 

 200, and other substances 100 pounds. 



According to some English chemists, coffee is adul- 

 terated in that country, outside of chicory, with such 

 substances as roasted peas, beans, carrots, turnips, pars- 

 nips, potatoes, acorns, beets, lupins and even fragments 

 of the baked livers of oxen and horses. To such an 

 extent is the practice carried there, that it is next to im- 

 possible to procure a pound of pure coffee there at almost 

 any price. The evil also flourishes to a great extent in 

 this country, but with the exception that nothing worse 

 than roasted rye, peas, beans and cereal grains are chiefly 

 used for its adulteration. With regard to the propriety of 

 selling chicory with coffee, it may be stated that while it 

 certainly is not right to sell a mixture of coffee with chicory 

 under the name ofpure coffee, and unreasonable to compel 

 the manufacturer or vender to specify approximately 

 the proportion of chicory contained in the mixture, 

 this latter is especially desirable, inasmuch as chicory 

 is far cheaper than coffee, and it is, therefore, necessary 

 to protect the public against having chicory palmed off* 



