CJ2 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I905. 



with that of the maple. Molasses is often adulterated with 

 glucose, a cheaper, and somewhat less sweet, but equally nutri- 

 tious food material. Cottonseed oil is frequently sold for olivt 

 oil. The market price of such substituted commodities is below 

 that of the article imitated. Such adulterations are frauds upon 

 the pocket book. On the other hand, some baking ])owders 

 contain alum. Sausages frequently carry borax. Ketchups 

 usually contain questionable preservatives and coloring matters. 

 Such adulterants are a greater or less menace to public health. 

 Since the limited funds available for the analysis of foods makes 

 it impossible to inspect them all, greater attention will be given 

 to adulterations injurious to health than to those concerning the 

 pocket book alone. Because of the expense involved it will.be 

 impracticable for the inspector to visit any considerable number 

 of the towns of the State. Dealers and consumers are invited 

 to send by prepaid express original and unbroken packages of 

 food materials on sale in Maine of whose purity they are for any 

 reason suspicious. Such samples should be accompanied by a 

 full description of the goods, including the name and address 

 of the dealer and of the sender, together with other known 

 data not given on the package. As prompt free analysis will 

 be made of these samples as circumstances will allow. In case 

 more samples are received than can be analyzed, preference will 

 be given to the examination of food materials the purity of 

 which affects the public health. 



