ADULTERATION OF FOOD.-NO. 1. 
205 
tice is prevalent among dairymen of pasturing the I 
low, wet, and shady portions of their farms (if they | 
have such), and using for meadows the more arid 
portions. In some such locations, it is impossible 
to make a fine flavored cheese. The curd ivorks 
tough and stubborn, and cheese is invariably of 51 
harsh, rank flavor. If this practice should be re¬ 
versed, and the low lands used for meadows, and 
the elevated, warmer portions grazed, I have no 
doubt a great improvement would be made in our 
dairy products. 
More care is required in working curd where 
whey and grain is fed. than when cows are grazed, 
as the milk is richer, and cheese more apt to be 
harsh flavored ; when cows are in heat , their milk 
should not be put with the rest till thoroughly 
cooled. It is often rank and bitter , and will sour 
in a few hours. If cows eat salt largely, bew T are 
of soft leaky cheese ; it retards the effect of rennet 
to decompose. Salt should lay by the cows that 
they may take a little daily. Corn sowed in drills 
will produce more milk, arising from the cultiva¬ 
tion and effect of sun and air. If fed when too old, 
it is not succulent and will dry up the milk.— 
Transactions N. Y. State Ag. Soc. A. L. Fish. 
Litchfield , Herkimer Co ., 1847. 
ADULTERATION OF FOOD.—No. 1. 
The adulteration, or falsification, of food, with 
the view of making one substance more saleable 
by improving its appearance by the addition of 
another, either harmless or otherwise; or of fraud¬ 
ulently depreciating its quality by adding to it some 
innocuous, or deleterious substance, diminishing its 
real , without altering its apparent , value, is of no 
recent origin; for in every nation, and in every 
time, similar modes of procedure have been adopted 
and flourished, and in many instances, by the aid 
of science, the avarice, dishonesty, and misplaced 
industry, (or all three combined), of some parties 
have raised adulteration to the standing of an art, 
and so ingenious have those become who have 
dealt in these mysteries, that it has required the 
greatest tact, labor, and circumspection, to bring 
their iniquitous proceedings to light. Indeed, in 
many cases, these frauds, or sophistications, have 
been so novel in their character, and have been exe¬ 
cuted with so much skill, that, not only the officers 
specially employed for the investigation, but even 
the chemists themselves, wore not able to detect the 
deception. 
It may not generally be known, that nearly all 
the substances used, either as articles of food or 
clothing, are adulterated, debased, or badly manu¬ 
factured, and to an extent, too, in many instances, 
that, at first, would be deemed almost incredible. 
Some of these frauds consist, merely in deceiving 
the purchaser, or consumer, either in weight or 
measure: others reduce the quality of the. article 
by mixing with it some substance which may be 
harmless in itself, while, not a few, go so far as to 
add highly deleterious, and even poisonous ma¬ 
terials with those which are absolutely necessary to 
life! What deadly and pernicious effects must be 
produced by a continued introduction of such sub¬ 
stances into the system, day after day, month after- 
month, and year after year, however small, how¬ 
ever trivial, however comparatively insignificant or 
unimportant one small dose might seem, but causing 
in the end, the most disastrous, and often fata! 
results! 
It must not be supposed, however, that every 
person, who deals in adulterated goods, is guilty of 
fraud; for certain cases are known, in which the 
articles have either been supplied him in a counter¬ 
feit state, when it was thought that they were abso¬ 
lutely pure : or the admixture has been accidental^ 
and oftentimes is the result of carelessness and in¬ 
experience. For, many articles of food derive 
poisonous constituents from the vessels employed 
in their manufacture, as the action of acids, vegeta¬ 
ble juices, fatty matter, &c. on those made of copper, 
zinc, or lead. 
In every well-governed state of continental Eu¬ 
rope, we are informed, there exists a board of health 
(Conseil de Salubrite), composed of eminent physi¬ 
cians, chemists, and engineers, appointed to watch 
over whatever may injuriously affect the health and 
comfort of the citizens. In Paris, this commission 
has heretofore consisted of seven members, who 
have the surveillance, in this respect, of the mar¬ 
kets, factories, bakeries, meat shambles, medicines, 
places of amusement, &c., and on the detection of 
any falsified, or pernicious articles of medicine, or 
food, it is immediately seized, or destroyed, and the 
culprits manufacturing, or offering them for sale, 
are fined, or punished, according to law. 
The municipal law of Prussia (Allgemeine Land- 
recht), contains the following enactments with re¬ 
gard to the sale of injured, or adulterated food:—“No 
person shall knowingly sell nor convey to others, 
for their use, articles of food or drink, wdiich possess 
properties prejudicial to health, under a penalty of 
fine and bodily punishment. Whosoever adul¬ 
terates any such food, or drink, in any manner in¬ 
jurious to health, or mixes with them unvrholesome 
materials, especially by adding any preparation of 
lead to liquors, shall, according to the circum¬ 
stances of the case, and the degree of damage to 
health, be liable to imprisonment in a house of cor¬ 
rection, or in a fortress, during a period, varying 
from one to three years. Besides this punishment 
those who are found guilty of knowingly selling 
food, or drink, which is damaged, or spoiled (ver- 
dorbener), or mixed with deleterious additions, 
shall forever be prohibited from carrying on the 
same branch of business. The articles in question 
shall be destroyed, if beyond the means of amend¬ 
ment, but if otherwise, they are to be improved, at) 
far as possible, at the cost of the culprit, and then 
confiscated for the benefit of the poor. Further¬ 
more, whoever mixes food, or other goods, with 
foreign materials, for the purpose of increasing its 
weight, or bulk, or its apparent good qualities, in a 
deceptive manner, shall be punished as a sw'indler. 5 ’ 
We are happy to learn that strenuous efforts are 
now making, in different states of the Union, for 
Congress to pass an act for the suppression of adul¬ 
terated drugs and medicines, and the punishment of 
the culprits, who may knowingly be detected in their 
manufacture, or in offering them for sale. We 
would suggest that it would be a measure of great 
utility, if not of equal importance, for similar laws 
to be passed in relation to the adulteration of food 
and every other article appertaining to comfort and 
public health. 
