484  Adulterations  of  Commercial  Pepper,    i^"^' oct^\m^'''^' 
with  that  of  the  various  adulterants  used  in  order  to  be  able  to  recog- 
nize them  with  the  aid  of  a  microscope.  This  is  not  specially  diffi- 
cult if  one  has  had  some  practice  in  manipulating  a  microscope  and  in 
mounting  sections.  The  excess  of  moisture  and  ash,  and  the  deficiency 
in  the  amount  of  ethereal  extract,  as  well  as  the  appearance  of  the 
latter,  in  Nos.  6,  7,  19  and  20,  being  sufficient  to  render  them  sus- 
picious, they  were  subjected  to  a  further  physical  examination. 
No.  1,  which  was  obtained  from  a  well-known  and  reliable  grinder  in 
this  city  and  known  to  be  pure,  was  taken  as  the  standard  in  this  as 
well  as  in  the  chemical  examination.  Samples  of  each  were  sifted 
successively  through  No.  40,  No,  50  and  No.  60  sieves,  and  the  por- 
tions thus  separated  subjected  to  a  careful  microscopic  examination, 
which  revealed  a  number  of  abnormal  structures,  among  which  were 
detected  pepper  stems,  charcoal,  hulls  of  mustard  seeds,  ground  corn 
and  beans,  small  fragments  of  cocoanut  shells,  and  various  unrecog- 
nizable impurities.  The  impurities  found  were  chiefly  inert,  and 
while  objectionable  on  account  of  their  diluent  effect  as  well  as  for  other 
reasons,  were  not  specially  deleterious.  All  the  other  samples  were 
similarly  examined  but  nothing  abnormal  was  found. 
Conclusions. — The  conclusions  I  have  drawn  from  the  foregoing 
analyses  are 
1.  The  amount  of  moisture  in  pepper  is  .so  variable  that  it  alone 
is  no  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the  quality  of  a  given  sample. 
2.  The  ash  is  also  a  variable  factor,  and,  unless  quite  excessive,  is 
not  a  sufficient  indication  of  impurity. 
3.  Excess  of  either  ash  or  moisture,  coupled  with  a  marked  defi- 
ciency of  ethereal  extract  (piperine  and  resin)  is  a  good  indication  of 
impurity. 
4.  The  impurities  most  likely  to  be  met  with  in  peppers  ground 
in  this  country  are  those  mentioned  above,  which  are  either  inert  or 
harmless. 
5.  Metals  and  alkaline  earths  are,  as  a  rule,  present  only  to  a  slight 
extent. 
6.  An  expertly  conducted  physical  examination  must  accompany 
the  chemical  in  order  to  thoroughly  test  a  sample  of  pepper. 
7.  The  popular  notion  that  ground  peppers  are  extensively  and 
grossly  adulterated,  while  partly  true,  is  mainly  a  false  one. 
8.  Consumers  who  are  willing  to  pay  a  fair  price  for  pepper  will 
seldom  be  imposed  upon  with  an  adulterated  article. 
