794 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IX. No. 232. 



mentioned Professor A. B. Prescott and Dr. 

 V. C. Vaughn, from the University of Mich- 

 igan. 



Dr. Wiley was placed first upon the stand, 

 and gave an outline of the character and 

 extent of food adulteration as it has been 

 revealed through the many years of investi- 

 gation in the Chemical Division of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture. Manufacturers 

 of ' pure Vermont maple sugar ' testified, 

 under oath, that much of the product that 

 they sold contained not more than 25 per 

 cent, of maple sugar or syrup. When asked 

 in regard to the purity of the maple sugar 

 which they bought for mixing purposes 

 they testified that they believed it to be 

 pure, but were by no means certain. Glu- 

 cose is the usual adulterant for maple syrup, 

 although melted brown sugar is sometimes 

 employed where a thinner product, more 

 nearly resembling maple syrup, is desired. 

 It was testified that when retail dealers 

 desired maple syrup for their customers 

 they specified the price they were willing to 

 pay, and that the mixing was then done 

 according to that price. 



Manufacturers of jellies also testified that 

 the cores and skins from cider factories and 

 drying kilns were employed as the base of 

 m.uch of the pure fruit jellies manufactured 

 and sold. Glucose is used as the principal 

 filler in these jellies, and the color and flavor 

 are largely supplied by synthetic products. 

 The quantity of these adulterated goods 

 made is far greater than that of the pure 

 article. 



Professor A. S. Mitchell, Chief Chemist 

 of the State Board of Health and Pure 

 Food and Dairy Commissioner of Wiscon- 

 sin, was a valuable witness before the Com- 

 mittee. He brought with him samples of 

 adulterated goods secured in the State of 

 Wisconsin, and explained in detail the na- 

 ture of the adulteration as it had been dis- 

 closed by his analyses. He described par- 

 ticularly the antiseptics and preservatives 



which were on the market under various 

 trade names, such as ' freezem ' and 

 'freezine,' and so forth. 'Freezem' was 

 shown to be a dilute solution of formalde- 

 hyde, while ' freezine ' was composed chiefly 

 of sodium sulphite. The question of the 

 use of preservatives was discussed by the 

 experts before the Committee, and the 

 universal opinion was exjpressed that 

 they were all unwholesome. Since, how- 

 ever, there are certain articles of food 

 and condiments, such as cider, tomato cat- 

 sup, etc., which require some preservative 

 in order to prevent fermentation ; and inas- 

 much as it was brought out in the evidence 

 that in the shipment of butter from Aus- 

 tralia to English ports the use of boric acid 

 was quite universal and was not objected to 

 by the English customers, and as it was 

 further stated in the evidence that English 

 merchants required that hams sent to Eng- 

 land from a distance should be rubbed with 

 boric acid, the experts unanimously agreed 

 that it would not be wise to pass a law pro- 

 hibiting the use of all preservatives, but 

 that thorough investigation should be made 

 to determine which kinds of preservatives 

 are least objectionable, and that in all cases 

 any article of food, drink or condiment con- 

 taining a preservative should have that 

 fact plainly stated on the label and the 

 quantity thereof indicated. 



It was brought out in the evidence that 

 the oleomargarine law was practically vio- 

 lated in many parts of Chicago. One wit- 

 ness before the Committee went to five 

 grocery stores and asked for creamery but- 

 ter. In each case he received oleomar- 

 garine. In each case the wrapper, which, 

 according to law, should bear the word 

 ' oleomargarine,' plainly visible, was so ar- 

 ranged that the purchaser could not pos- 

 sibly see the word. The plan was to stamp 

 the word ' oleomargarine ' near the corner 

 of the wrapper and then to fold the corner 

 of the wrapper over so that the stamp 



