Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 December 1889 — Satisfy Yourself. [ARTICLE]

Satisfy Yourself.

The way people are questioning their grocers about-the adulteration of baking powders has stirred up that part of the mercantile community to taking more care in their selection of manufactured articles. The consumers are rapidly awakening to the fact that i early all the cheap brands and prize goods, as well as some high priced brands advertised as * ‘Absolutely Pure,” contain either Alum or Ammonia, and some of them both of these adulterants. ‘ „ A simple test of the purity of baking powder, is to mix in a tin cup two heaping teaspoonfuls of the Powder with three teaspoonful of cold water, place it over the fire, stirring constantly, allow it to boil thoroughly, or, until the gas escapes freely; then smell; if adulterated the odor of Ammonia will be plainly perceived. The presence of Ammonia in most cases indicates that alum is used, as nearly all the alum of commerce contains Ammonia. Pure Baking Powder will not give the faintest Ammoniacal odor. Baking powders composed principally of Starch, Alum and terra alba, boil into a thick dirty paste.—New York W orld. The Sultan’s Live Birthday Present. Custom still requires that the Sultan of Turkey’s mother shall on his birthday present him with a beautiful female slave, but in practice it has come to pass that the Sultan simply adds to his establishment the orphan child of some poor officer or deserving servant. It is considered a great honor and it certainly is a very profitable thing to be enrolled among the Sultan’s “favorites,” if only for a week. A life pension is the result, and the young lady easily finds a husband.