upon the first indictment. The defendants swore that the goods were labelled without their orders, or knowledge before the fact, and were purchased by this firm before the enactment of our law, and upon this testimony the defense was successful. The other indictment, that for selling adulterated goods, is still pending in the court, postponed by the request of defendant's counsel. The effect, however, of these prosecutions, and of the watchfulness in this direction was most salutary upon the trade, and it is believed that with careful attention to the trade and courageous prosecution of dealers in fraudulent goods, adulterated maple sirup may be utterly driven from the trade, or be compelled to wear the degrading badge of its own true name. VINEGAR. Much consideration has also been given during the year to the false brands of vinegar upon the market. An effort was made by this Commission to procure the passage by the legislature of an effective vinegar law, to drive out of the commerce of the State those poisonous brands of so-called vinegar that have for so long been imposed upon our people, and to compel all kinds of vinegar sold in the State to sell under their true name, and upon their known composition and merits. One of the main features of this law, which passed the House, was a section forbidding the coloring of other than fruit vinegar so as to simulate cider vinegar, and as a just protection to our fruit growers and cider vinegar makers, as well as a protection to the public health. Such legislation would have been most valuable indeed. But, unfortunately for the public good, a lobby from the "low wine" vinegar manufactories got hold of the bill while it was in the Senate, and manipulated it so that it was amended and passed in the Senate in such form as to forbid the coloring of "cider vinegar." Such legislation is not simply a burlesque, it is an insult to honest business men, and an obstruction to honest business methods. This law should be amended at once so as to compel all vinegars to sell uuder their true name, and upon their own merits. The vile and hurtful compounds manufactured from drugs and acids should be forbidden a place in the trade, whether made within the State or without. And the "low wine" vinegars should be branded with their true name, and the coloring of such vinegar to simulate cider vinegar should be positively prohibited. Such an amended law would add a hundred thousand dollars per year to the value of Ohio's apple crop, and gr.atly promote the public health. BAKING POWDERS. Much complaint had been made to this Commission of the character of the baking powders of commerce. It was believed by many that there was a great deal of adulteration and impurity in the ordinary baking powders used by our people, and that the public health was seriously affected thereby. Recognizing the importance of this matter to the health and domestic economy of the people of the State, I gave public notice of my purpose to investigate the purity and healthfulness of the various brands of the baking powders of commerce. I sought all possible information on this subject, and collected and submitted to analysis by the State Chemist, thirty brands of baking powders, such as I found on sale in many sections of the State. In September the result of these investigations and analyses was pulbished in an official circular, for the benefit of the consumers of this class of goods. There was no thought, wish or purpose upon the part of this Commission to aid or to defeat the enterprise of any manufacturer of these goods. Indeed, we had not any possible intimation as to what the analysis would show in any particular brand, until the work was accomplished. There was simply the impartial purpose to inform the public as to the chemical composition of the several brands sold by the trade throughout the State, so that, with the knowledge of the facts they might not claim that they were being defrauded or imposed upon, but be able intelligently to choose the goods they deemed most healthful and desirable. This circular with its analysis has attracted so much attention throughout the State and conntry and is of such significance as to demand a place in this report and it is therefore given here in full: CIRCULAR NO. 6.-BAKING POWDERS. This Commission has been for some months investigating the baking powders of commerce, most generally used and sold in this State. And we herein submit to the people of the State the result of that investigation. We have analyzed thirty brands of baking powder, seeking those brands which were apparently most generally sold throughout the State. We submit the result of these analyses to the people who are the consumers of such goods, that they may know the true chemical character of these several varieties. It is generally supposed that there is a vast deal of "adulteration" in baking powder, but since there is at law no standard of excellence or purity in baking powder, it is difficult to say what is an adulteration, unless it be an unhealthful ingredient. As a matter of fact, any powdered composition that is healthful, and which in solution is moist dough, will generate carbonic acid gas and "raise" bread, or cause it to be porous and light, may be properly called a baking powder. And accordingly we find very many varieties or brands of baking powders on the market made from widely different materials. The best baking powder is of course that in which (the ingredients being healthful) the largest amount of carbon gas is genera ed to the spoonful of powder, and the least amount and least hurtful character of the resultant salt remains in the bread. For an intelligent view of the whole field we classify these varieties into three general divisions. In each of these the active agents of the compound are kept dry, and thus free from fermentation in the package, by the use of a given per cent. of starch, wheat flour or rice flour. These are used simply as dry filling to keep the chemical agents from acting upon each other in the package. In this classification we have 1st. Cream of tartar baking powders. 2d. Phosphate baking powders. 3d. Alum baking powders. The chemical formula and the percentages of the active agents vary with each brand. But generally stated we have in the Cream of tartar, FIRST CLASS. Changed by chemical action in the dough to The cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda, dissolved by the water or moisture in the dough, unite chemically and form in the bread the double salt of tartrate of potassium and sodium, and carbonic acid gas, the latter escaping in the baking heat. In some brands of the cream of tartar baking powder a small per cent. of carbonate of ammonia is used; but this is considered to be too small an amount to be hurtful. There is a prevalent belief created by the erroneous statement of manufacturers that the salts from which carbonic acid gas is generated pass off in the form of escaping gas, scarcely leaving a trace of their presence in the bread. But this is not true. These resultant salts formed by the chemical action in the dough remain in the bread, while the gas generated by such chemical action and which is but a small per cent. of the whole, alone passes off in the process of baking. From this fact many persons condemn the entire class of alum baking powder as being unhealthful. Pure alum is undoubtedly a hurtful salt, and the resultant salts from its combination with soda can scarcely be less hurtful. And yet this is a question about which "doctors disagree;" any number of conflicting opinions and certificates can be had from eminent chemists on either side of this question. The official investigation of this class of baking powders made in England to test their healthfulness resulted in their favor. But this conclusion rested upon the statement of chemis's that the resultant salt of hydrate of aluminum remaining in the bread, was insoluble and hence unhurtful when taken into the stomach. But some of the ablest chemists of this country declare that hydrate of aluminum is quite soluble and hence is as hurtful as the alum in other forms. So that the question is yet an open one to be determined by further careful scientific investigation. As to the general healthfulness of cream of tartar and phosphate baking powders when properly used, there is but little difference of opinion; but an intelligent knowedge of their strength and freshness and of the manner and rapidity of the chemical combinations in the process of bread making is necessary to the baker in order to insure good bread. These thirty brands were analyzed very carefully by Prof. H. A. Weber, State Chemist at Columbus, Ohio, and are such as are generally sold throughout the State. The condition of some of these brands was not such as to show them at their best advantage, since some were old while others were fresh. But since they were bought in the open market without discrimination, they fairly present what the consumer must buy. S. H. HURST, Ohio Dairy and Food Commissioner. Gen. S. H. HURST, Ohio Dairy and Food Commissioner: SIR: The following is a complete report of the analyses of baking powders received June 3, and July 7, 1887: The list, as will be seen from the analyses, includes three kinds of baking powders, in which the acid principle is respectively, cream of tartar, acid phosphate of calcium, and alum. The carbonic acid evolved with water was determined with great care, and from this the amount of bicarbonate of sɔda and the acid principle was calculated according to well-known reactions. The starch, or as in some cases the flour, was determined directly, due allowance being made in case of the alum powders for the loss of water of the aluminum hydroxide in the dried residue upon ignition. Accidental impurities of commercial drugs were not taken into account, as they would be very small and unimportant in case of the alum powder while in the cream of tartar powder the ingredients used were found in the course of analysis to be practically pure. The excess of bicarbonate of soda or of the acid principle was determined volumetrically and added, as the case might be, to the results obtained by calculation. Respectfully submitted. H. A. WEBER, Chemist. This powder contained a small percentage of ammonium carbonate, which was calculated as bicarbonate of soda above. Tartrate of potassium and sodium, moisture, etc............ 23.24 49.57 12.80 14.39 100.00 26 12 54.70 9.00 10.18 100.00 Cream of tartar....... Starch...... 19.09 48.39 0.00 Tartrate of potassium and sodium, moisture, etc............................................................... .................. ..................... 32.52 Insoluble ash, (calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, etc)..... 19.50 16.89 100.00 Insoluble ash, (calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, etc)..... 26.90 59.33 100.00 Hydrate of Alumina, sodium sulphate, ammonium sulphate, moisture, etc.... 34.26 Hydrate of alumina, sodium sulphate, ammonium sulphate, moisture, etc..... 20.34 |