266 
ADULTERATION OF FOOD.-NO• 3. 
A sample taken from the top of a similar bed of 
marl, was also presented from the farm of Dr. 
John S. Bartlett, situated about five miles from the 
former, which, on analysis by Dr. Chilton, gave 
the following ingredients :— 
Silica,.71.14 
Oxide of iron,.10.73 
Alumina,.5.00 
Potash,.3.40 
Sulphate of iron, &c., . . 2.82 
Water,.5.81 
Loss,.1.10 
100.00 
This marl, though less rich in potash than the 
preceding, like all other beds which have been 
opened in East Jersey, it is believed will prove 
more valuable as it is more deeply penetrated. 
Syrian Millet. —Mr. S. B. Parsons, of Flushing, 
Long Island, presented a sample of his own raising 
of Syrian millet (Sorghum halepense), seven feet in 
height. The plant has been successfully cultivated 
for a few years past, in Carolina and Georgia, from 
seeds originally obtained from the banks of the Nile. 
The tops and stalks are very succulent, quite as 
much so as those of green Indian corn, when young, 
and promise to afford a valuable forage for cattle 
and other stock, from the poorest soil, at the north 
as well as at the south, without much expense for 
culture or manure. 
Superior Variety of Squash. —A fine specimen of 
squash was received from Mr. Braisted, of Wood- 
bridge, N. J., grown by him from seed procured from 
8t. Domingo. In addition to fineness of texture 
and delicacy of flavor, this vegetable possesses the 
property of keeping during the winter and spring, 
and even, it is said, that, with proper care, it will 
last the year round. 
Mildew on the G'rape Vine. —Mr. Maynard, of 
Brooklyn, L. I., stated that the Isabella and Ca¬ 
tawba grape vines have been attacked by mildew 
these two years past, which he attributes to cold, 
damp weather, followed by an intensely-hot sun. 
The leaves curl up, and turn brown ; the fruit ceases 
to grow, and often withers, rots, and falls off. The 
Catawba, in this vicinity, is more susceptible to this 
malady than the Isabella; but at Cincinnati, ac¬ 
cording to Mr Longworth, the reverse is the case. 
Mr. Maynard thinks there is no remedy for this 
disease. 
Flowers and Fruits. —Mr. Maynard presented 
fine specimens of the large, wing-stalked passion 
flower {Passiflom alata ), gigantic fuchia {Fuhcsia 
gigantea ), and the double Chinese variegated pink. 
Choice samples of the fruits of the season were 
exhibited from the Fulton and Washington mar¬ 
kets • among which were a fine lot of peaches from 
Delaware, and muskmelons and watermelons from 
East Jersey. 
Stock for Sale. —Those who wish to purchase 
improved stock of all kinds, have never been 
offered so good an opportunity to do so, with decided 
advantage, as will be afforded them at the show and 
fair of the New-York State Agricultural Society ; 
which comes off at Buffalo, on the 5th, 6th, and 7th 
of the present month. See advertisements. 
ADULTERATION OF FOOD.—No. 3. 
Milk. —This liquid, so generally in use, has by no 
means escaped the cupidity of its "venders. The 
substance, ordinarily employed in its adulteration, is 
water, a fraud very difficult of detection, more espe¬ 
cially when the quantity employed is small. Even 
when pure, the proportion of water it contains va¬ 
ries considerably r being naturally more at one time 
than another, and consequently is less rich in cream. 
Hence its density, or specific gravity, varies, accord¬ 
ing to the breed of the animal, her food, the cli¬ 
mate in which she is kept, and season of the year. 
In hot summers and dry seasons, the quantity of 
milk is less, but the average quality is richer. 
Cold weather favors the production of sugar and 
cheesy matter, while hot weather increases the yield 
of butter. 
From the above-named facts, it will readily be 
seen that, independent of any adulteration which 
may be practised on milk, it is no easy matter to 
ascertain its purity by means of the hydrometer, or 
any other instrument, by its specific gravity. Al¬ 
though water would alone cause a great diminution 
of density, the dealers very well know how to pre¬ 
vent that effect, and thereby render all such instru¬ 
ments inefficient, and consequently useless. For 
this purpose, it is only necessary to dissolve in the 
milk a little sugar, or sugar candy, which is re¬ 
quired at all events, to correct the flat taste imparted 
to the milk by diluting it with water. 
According to the experiments of M. Lassaigne, 
as detailed in the u Dictionnaire des Reactifs Chi- 
miques,” the average density of pure milk is about 
1.038 ; a mixture of 75 parts milk, and 25 of wa* 
ter, has a density of 1.021: and a mixture of 66 
parts of milk, and 34 of water, a specific gravity of 
1.02. Hence, as the density of pure milk is varia¬ 
ble, it will readily be seen that it is impossible to 
arrive exactly at the truth, when an extra quantity 
of water has been added. The amount of adulte¬ 
ration can only be comparatively arrived at, by as¬ 
certaining the minimum density of pure milk, and 
determining whether the specific gravity of the sam¬ 
ple examined be above or below. 
Not only is water added to milk, but it is a prac¬ 
tice with some dealers to abstract a portion of the 
cream, by allowing the milk to stand for a limited 
time, and then dilute the remainder with water; 
then, to give it the apparent qualities of new milk 
by one or other of the methods mentioned below. 
The operations of skimming off the cream, and 
dilution by water, cause, in the appearance of the 
milk, a very considerable difference ; for, merely by 
the abstraction of the cream, the residual, or skim¬ 
med milk, takes a flimsy look, together with a blu¬ 
ish tinge. These appearances increase when 
water has been added, and, in order to mask the 
two previous impositions, a third, fourth, or fifth, 
must be practised. 
M. Barruel, a chemist of Paris, has investigated 
the adulteration, of milk with much care, the milk 
dealers having been as dishonest in that capital as 
i with us. From his investigations, it would appear 
! that the opacity of the milk being much diminished 
1 by water, it was at one time common to correct this 
! defect by previously mixing wheaten flour with 
j the water with which the milk was adulterated. 
‘ But this deception was too obvious to the senses , 
