rumors thai t In- cotton seed oil exported from tin- Tinted States is 

 laryclv used as an adulterant OF substitute for o|i\ e oil. and is sent baek 

 to us under another label and at oreatly increased prices. It is dillicult 

 to undei-stand ho\\ this idea could have trained credence. The >hip 

 luent of the oil twice across the ocean would seem a needless expense. 

 Oils of American origin are never subjected to a more ri^-id examina- 

 tion than imported oils. In view of these facts we would expect e\ en 

 foreign manufacturers to establish mixing and bottling establishments 

 here, if they desire, to handle American oil, and routine their importa- 

 tion to the labels. 



In the following pajjvs several instances of the presence of cheaper 

 oils imported as olive oil are noted, but not a single instance has been 

 found of the use of cotton-seed oil as an adulterant or substitute for 

 olive oil in goods known to be imported." although samples of imported 

 olive oil were obtained from the customs officers of several of our 

 leading ports, and every effort was made to secure a fail 1 representa- 

 tion of the oils imported. We are therefore brought to the conclu- 

 sion that cotton-seed oil is not imported under olive oil labels, as is 

 frequently stated. Since the completion of our work on this subject 

 this idea has been confirmed by a report from Consul-General li. P. 

 Skinner, as a result of his investigation of the manufacture of olive 

 oil in France. Mr. Skinner calls attention to the fact that edible olive 

 oil to the value of $1,200,000 is brought annually into the United 

 States, and that Marseilles alone has sometimes imported $8,000,000 

 worth of cotton oil in a single year. Mr. Skinner then says: "There- 

 fore, if we also assume, a most improbable hypothesis, that these oils 

 contain '2~> per cent of cotton oil. we hav 4 accounted for cotton oil 

 to the value of merely S;;OO.IMM>. a mere drop in the bucket as com- 

 pared with the value of our cotton-oil exports." Another form of 

 fraud is illustrated in Plate II. tig. 1. which is a reproduction of a 

 label on a bottle received from the apprai-er's stores imported as olive 

 oil, but containing peanut oil. 



I take this opportunity to express our indebtedness to all the Ameri- 

 can manufacturers who have cooperated in this work by furnishing the 

 laboratory with samples of their oil, accompanied by affidavits as to their 

 purity and descriptions of their methods of manufacture; and also to 

 V. Yillavecchia. custom-house chemist, Rome: ( Jiacomo Dellepiane fu 

 Andrea, Genoa; G. E. Colby and \V. C. Blasdale, of the University 

 of California. Berkeley. Cal.. who have supplied samples of olive oil 

 of known purity from different regions, and the Y. 1). Anderson Com- 

 pany, who prepared several samples of olive-oil substitutes for OUl* 



laboratory. 



\\ . D. BlGELOW, 



Chief <tf Food Laboratory. 



" Nine samples out of I'^i) n-ivntly receive.! 1'rom the custom-house have contained 

 cotton-seed cil. 



) 



