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186
ceeded 9 per cent of the minimum amount that should
have been present, while in the other samples the fat in
excess amounted to a good deal more than 100 per cent of
the same minimum.
Of the samples which were neither abnormal nor
adulterated only 6 were of inferior quality, the remainder
being excellent in every way, thus showing that there is
no difficulty whatever in maintaining a standard well
above that established by the Society of Public Analysts,
and the adoption of any lower limits as has been done by
the authorities at Somerset House is only a direct
incentive to adulteration.
Of butter only one sample was adulterated, but 24
out of 36 (or 66 per cent.) contained Boracic Acid. Last
year 89 per cent. contained this antiseptic; it seems,
therefore, to be declining somewhat in popularity, a result
much to be desired; as evidence of the decidedly objectionable
nature of this substance as an unacknowledged
addition to our food is gradually accumulating.
All the samples of sausages examined contained
Boracic Acid. Here there is less to be said against its use,
but the quantities added were somewhat considerable, and
almost suggest that the antiseptic was added less as a
preservation than to mask the presence of unsound
material.
All the samples of tinned peas but one, contained
traces of copper, but in no instance did the proportion
exceed .56 grains to the pound—a quantity too small to
be considered in any way dangerous to health. While
the use of copper to preserve the green colour of peas has
been very widely adopted, and is a process which should
certainly be stopped, at the same time it is now generally