486 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



that in one case ground acorns were detected, and in others roast- 

 ed wheat, mahogany saw-dust, mangel wurzel, roasted carrot, 

 roasted farina. The ashes of several of the samples were highly- 

 colored, indicating the presence of some red earth. 



In the case of bread, the whole of the twenty-four samples ex- 

 amined were adulterated with alum, and from the analysis of a 

 second series of twenty-five samples, including three sold by the 

 League Bread Company, contained alum, in some cases 5U0 grs. 

 in a loaf; potato flour was not detected in any of the parcels. It 

 is not easy to detect the presence of alum in bread without analiz- 

 ing it. If two slices are cut and placed in water, the good bread 

 would absorb far more water than the bad bread. 



From an examination of eight samples of flour, the important 

 fact was ascertained that four of the flours used by tlie bakers in 

 whose bread alum had been detected, and who had questioned 

 the accuracy of the analysis, also contained alum, and in some 

 cases muriatic acid, containing arsenic. 



The conclusions arrived at from the analysis of samples of 

 cocoa Avere, that eight of the fifty-six samples were genuine; that 

 sugar was present in forty-three samples, the amount forming 

 from five to, in some cases, as much as fifty per cent of the article, 

 and consisting either of wheat, potato flour, sago, meal, &c., or 

 mixtures of these in various proportions That out of ten sam- 

 ples of cocoa which were incinerated, six contained earthy color- 

 ing matter; out of fourteen samples of soluble cocoa, earthy mat- 

 ter was discovered in thirteen; that five of the fourteen homceo- 

 pathic cocoas contained colored earth; two were free from earthy 

 coloring matter; that earthy coloring matter was found in seven 

 out of nine samples of rock cocoa; that the ash in two of the 

 cocoa pastes incinerated was colored; that of the twelve samples 

 of chocolate, in powder and in cake, examined, earthy coloring 

 matter was present in four. Sixty-eight other samples of cocoa 

 and chocolate being submitted to examination, twenty-nine were 

 free from admixture with eartliy coloring matter, while the re- 

 maining thirty-nine sam2:)les all contained colored earthy sub- 

 stances in greater or less amount. 



With respect to oatmeal, the conclusions resulting from the 

 examination of this article were, that sixteen of the thirty sam- 

 ples submitted for examination, were adulterated with barley 



N OTE. — If bicarbonate of soJa, which contains a large quantity of carbonic acid, be mixed 

 with bread, n.nd muriatic acid be poured upon it, an effervescence will take place which will 

 raise the bread and dispense with the use of ycost. 



