206 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 
top of the terrace, several rods in width, renders it impos- 
sible that such fragments dropped off from some over- 
hanging bank. If we assume that the terrace was depos- 
ited by the river while at its present size and that it has 
since cut down its valley leaving the terrace above it, we 
are at a loss to account for the soil-covered loess immedi- 
ately under the terrace deposits. It seems evident, there- 
fore, that the terrace in question was formed by a very 
brief and great rise in the waters of the Turkey river. 
PURE FOOD LAWS. 
C. 0. BATES. 
The demand for cheap goods and the intense strain pro- 
duced by commercial competition has induced many deal- 
ers and manufacturers to adulterate their products. This 
practice enables them to satisfy the buyer and outwit 
their competitors, not to speak of the immediate financial 
advantage. 
Many and wonderful have been the schemes to cheapen 
and multiply food and drug products. Some of them have 
been along the lines of honest scientific investigation and 
discovery. And their triumphs remain as perpetual monu- 
ments to such thought and enterprise. It is not to this 
side of the subject that we wish to give attention in this 
paper, but to the other side of the subject, viz.: the schemes 
for cheapening and multiplying food products by fraud 
and deception. 
j|There is no law until there is an infringement of rights. 
Pure food laws, like the common laws of England, are the 
outgrowth of the just and righteous demand of an honest, 
prosperous and progressive people. It is not a “ King John ’’ 
that they have to contend with, but a more subtile, selfish 
and powerful “ King Mammon.” While the question of 
Pure Food Laws is in its incipient stage in this country, it 
should receive the hearty support of every thoughtful 
