Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1890 — ARTIFICIAL MILK IN MARKET. [ARTICLE]

ARTIFICIAL MILK IN MARKET.

Disclosures by Blud, the Butcher, at a Meeting: of Interested Parties. Indianapolis New*. , \ , At the usual meeting of Blud, the butcher, Finn, the fish dealer, and Greenp, ihe grocer, an important disclosure vas made. It is a rule of the organ iza.ion that it is the duty of a member to make known any discovery of fraud on the part of any other member, or taat may result in harm to the business of any of them. It developed that the purpose of the meeting bras to put Greens on his guard against artificial milk. 1 One of our members” said Blud, who is always after somebody’s ‘gore,’ “is selling milk, and it is right that he should knew what is going on in the lactic

trade. When I complained to the milkman because the fluid he left was thin he said it was due to the fact that his cows were black, and black cows give thin milk. If the hide of the cow is whitish, even if the hair is black, the milk will be good.” The point he was making was that the milk was die genuine bovine product if it wasn’t the best in the world. “Why,” he said, ‘•what would you think if I would bring you artificial milk that hadn't a particle of the lacteal principle in it except the taste?” “ *Do you mean to say there is such an article in the market?’ I asked. “ ‘There is the recipe that was offeraf to me for $25, aud I know dealers that bought it. All they do is to mix a few chemicals in a barrel of water and it becomes marketable at six cents a quart. Of course, one can’t regard the eighth commandment and do this kind of business, but it’s rather discouraging to the Cow industry to be outdone by a rain barrel. ’ “ j investigated and find this to be true: Artificial milk is being sold in this market. It has the appearance of milk, and if taken fresh tastes much like it. It spoils much more easily than real milk, and once spoilt is like an egg tainted thoroughly spoilt. There is no help-for it; it is not good for clabber; it will not make butter; it is not even good for sour milk. It is putrefaction and its odors are calculated to drive the Celestials from their kingdom. It turns bluish in color-and becomes offensive. It is dangerous to public health and we can’t drive it out.”

It was further shown that the ordinary process of watering milk is generally supplemented with a thickening process. Corn starch dissolved in water whitens the water, thickens it and, diluted with milk, assumes the taste of milk. This is what some people are buying. Undissolved particlesof starch in the ‘milk’ sometimes arouses the suspicion that it has been ‘chalked.’" The quality of milk may be determined by trial in a glass tube such as the Health Board uses for this purpose. After twenty-four hours in the tube, the cream will, if the milk is standard purity, register 18 per cent. Watered milk will show little cream and a heavy deposit of water at the bottom of the tube.