The use of spice oils is more economical as far as the actual expense of the formula is concerned, and it is also very convenient, as you have your flavoring in small packages in a highly concentrated form. As these oils are distilled from spices which are wormy, or for some other reason not marketable as whole spices, the spice from which they are distilled can be obtained very cheap. As a rule the oils are distilled where the spices are grown, and only the essential oil is imported. In order to make the oils comply with the regulations of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, it is usually necessary to re-distill them here, as they often contain lead from being transported in lead containers. Adulteration of Ground Spices If ground spices are used they should be bought from a concern of very high standing, as their adulteration is by no means an uncommon practice. Deception is, of course, difficult in whole spices. Such adulteration as the use of ten or twenty per cent of ground pepper shells in ground pepper has frequently been discovered by government chemists. Ground olive stones, sawdust, brick dust, ground cocoanut shells, and many other inert substances have also been found in ground spices. Adulteration can almost always be detected by either microscopical or chemical examination, but there have been cases where the adulteration has been so cleverly done that the only way it could be verified was by detective work on the part of government agents. Onions and Garlic Onions for catsup need not be carefully peeled, as a little peeling will not impart any foreign taste. It is well, however, to remove that part of the peeling which is dry and comes off easily. The finishing machine will remove that portion of the peeling which is left. The sweet Bermuda onions are not as good for catsup as are the stronger kind, as it takes too many of them to impart a distinct onion flavor. The onions should, of course, be washed if they are not clean when taken from the sack. Some firms use an onion washing and peeling machine and they like the machine very much. A coarse grinding of the onions is sufficient. Some packers use garlic and some do not. Garlic is treated in exactly the same way as onions but should be ground rather fine. The cloves of the garlic should be removed from the enveloping tissue, but it is not necessary to separate the individual cloves from the hard, fibrous coating which surrounds them. Onions and garlic should be added as soon as all of the tomato juice for the batch is boiling in the kettle. For a 100 gallon batch, two gallons of chopped onions and ½ lb. of ground garlic are about the right amounts. Ground onions and garlic should not be left standing over night, as they get black and lose their flavor. In cases where some are unavoidably left over, they should be covered with vinegar and salt. Sugars