The adulterants of teas, as a rule, are not such as may considered prejudicial to the health. The mineral matters employed in facing, etc., with the exception of salts of iron or copper, are insoluble in water, hence would not be present in the infusion. Copper, which is probably very rarely present, would be very objectionable even in very small quantities. Sulphate of iron is a powerful astringent. In the small quantities which would be used in increasing the astringency of teas it would possibly not be seriously objectionable. It may also be said of sulphate of iron that this substance was not detected in a very large number of samples examined by Hassall nor in the Department's samples.

1 Foods: Their Composition and Analysis, A. W. Blyth, 323.

2 Food, Its Adulterations and the Methods for Their Detection, A. H. Hassall, p. 131.

3 Hassall, op. cit., 117.

Pacing, if excessive, increases the weight of the tea, but there is no evidence of its being prejudicial to the health.

From these statements we see that the adulterations of teas are intended more especially to enhance the value of inferior grades, except in the case of lie tea or the addition of foreign or exhausted leaves. In the latter cases a spurious article, which is not justified by any quality or principle which it contains, is foisted upon the market.

The evidence of authorities upon food adulteration confirms the statement that the addition of foreign leaves is now but little practiced. The general freedom of the teas of the markets of the United States from adulteration is largely due to the enforcement of the United States tea-adulteration law. Dr. Jesse P. Battershall,1 under whose direction a very large number of samples of teas were examined in connection with this law, notes a very perceptible improvement in the quality of teas imported under its provisions.