The remarkable success of the Coca Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, in building up a very great and lucrative business in the sale of coca cola has induced many other manufacturers to imitate, as nearly as possible, the name adopted by the Coca Cola Company. Aside from the unethical principle involved, it is gratifying to know that the public is not slow to distinguish the genuine from the imitation. In other words, if anyone wishes to drink a cola or an ola he prefers to take the original article rather than its substitutes. Whether or not all the various beverages which use "cola" or "ola" in some form in their names are also imitations of coca cola in composition, I am unable to say. At least, however, an informed person, knowing the nature of coca cola, would reasonably expect that any "cola" or "ola" drink of any kind would not be content with imitating only the name of the original article, but also to some extent its composition. It is fair to presume, therefore, that the "colas" or "olas" as a class contain caffein as the active and valuable ingredient.

The family of colas or olas is increasingly great. The Report of the President's Homes Commission, appointed by President Roosevelt to study the condition existing in the homes of the country, contained a list of cola or ola drinks, so-called, which is found on pages 268 and following of the Report. The names of these beverages, as printed in this Report, are as follows:

Afri Cola, The Afri Cola Co., Atlanta, Ga.

Ala Cola, Ala Bottling Works, Bessemer, Ala.

Carre Cola, E. Carre Co., Mobile, Ala.

Celery Cola, The Celery Cola Co., Birmingham, Ala.; Dallas, Texas; Nashville, Tenn., and St. Louis, Mo.

Chan Ola, L. M. Channell, New Orleans, La.

Chera Cola, Union Bottling Works, Columbus, Ga.

Coca Cola, Coca Cola Co., Atlanta, Ga.

Cola Coke, Lehman-Rosenfeld Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. (This preparation was formerly sold under the name of Rocco Cola.)

Cream Cola, Jebeles & Calias Co., Birmingham, Ala.

Four Kola, Big Four Bottling Works, Waco, Texas.

Hayo Kola, Hayo Kola Co., Norfolk, Va. Heck's Cola, Heck & Co., Nashville, Tenn. Kaye Ola, A. W. Kaye, Meridian, Miss. Kola Ade, Wiley Manufacturing Co., Atlanta, Ga. Kola Kola, W. J. Stange Co., Chicago, 111. Kola Phos, John Wyeth and Bro., Philadelphia, Pa. Kos Kola, Sethness Co.,Chicago, Ill. Lime Cola, Alabama Grocery Co., Birmingham, Ala. Lima Ola, Wine Brew Co., Macon, Ga. Nerv Ola, Henry K. Wampole & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. Revive Ola, O. L. Gregory Vinegar Co., Birmingham, Ala. Rocola, American Manufacturing Co., Savannah, Ga. Rye Ola, Rye Ola Co., Birmingham, Ala. Standard Cola, The Standard Bottling Co., Denver, Colo. Tokola, Samuel Smith & Co., Chicago, Ill. Vani Kola, Vani Kola Company, Canton, Ohio. Wise Ola, The Wise Ola Co., Birmingham, Ala. Citro Cola, Miners Fruit Nectar Co., Boston, Mass. Koke Ola, Eagle Bottling Co., Frankfort, Ky. Lon Kola, Lon Kola Co., Danville, Ky. Mexicola, Celiko Bottling Works, Raleigh, N. C. Pau Pau Cola, Pau Pau Cola Co., Detroit, Mich. Pepsi Cola, C. D. Bradham, New Bern, N. C. Charcola, H. C. Metzger, Meridian, Miss. Cherry Kola, Williamsport, Pa. Cola Soda, Jacob House and Sons, Buffalo, N. Y. Field's Cola, H. C. Field, High Point, N. C.

Imported French Cola, Alabama Grocery Co., Birmingham, Ala. (Claimed to be carbonated Wiseola.) Jacob's Kola, Tampa, Florida. Kola Cream, The Henzerling Co., Baltimore, Md. Kola Pepsin Celery Wine Tonic, W. J. Miller, Cleveland, Ohio. Kola Vena.

Loco Kola, Norton, Virginia. Mintola, Davis Kelley Co., Louisville, Ky. Ro-Cola, Savannah, Ga.

Schelhorns Cola, Evansville Bottling Co., Evansville, Ind. Vine Cola, California Commerical Co., Los Angeles, Cal.

The Report of the Homes Commission says:

During the past decade soda fountain specialties containing caffein, extract of kola nut and extract of coca leaf, the active principle of which is cocain, have been offered in considerable quantities and, due to extensive and attractive advertising, both as beverages and as headache remedies and nerve tonics, their sale has assumed large proportions.

Judging from the names of most of these products it would appear that extract of kola nut is one of the chief ingredients, and, while in certain instances this drug is undoubtedly present, in most cases the caffein has been added as the alkaloid caffein obtained from refuse tea sweepings.

The use of the coca leaf, by reason of the fact that it introduces cocain into the drinks, has been now generally discontinued. In the case of coca cola the decocainized leaf, the refuse product discarded in the manufacture of cocain, is employed. So perfectly is the cocain extracted in the process of manufacture that the extract used in coca cola does not apparently contain any of the cocain alkaloid. The Report of the President's Homes Commission was issued in 1908, and since that time it is certain that many more drinks of the ola or cola type have been placed upon the market. While I have intimated that one acquainted with the composition of the original beverage would infer that the substitutes contained caffein and are also made partly from the kola nut which contains considerable quantities of caffein, it would not be just to intimate that all of them are of that composition. It is possible that many of them are merely imitations of name, and not imitations of composition.

In order to determine whether or not the manufacture and sale of ola or cola beverages is still practised, I have consulted the National Bottlers' Gazette, the issue of January 5, 1916. In that issue it is evident that the practice of the cola or ola habit is still in vogue. It is said, on page 64:

Bottlers interested in what's what in cola drinks should turn to the two-color advertisement of the Sher-A-Coca Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., on which is advertised its two high class drinks, Sher-A-Coca and Sher-A-Coca Punch. An interesting little booklet has recently been issued by the company, describing the merits of these new beverages, and our readers will do well to get a copy and read it.

Thus it is seen that even in drinks in which the word "ola" or "cola" does not occur, but where "coca" does occur, it is recognized that they belong to the cola or ola type. On the same page attention is called to a new cola which is attracting considerable attention, namely, Penn-Cola, manufactured in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On the same page attention is called to the fact that the Gay-Ola Company of Memphis, Tennessee, is now known as the Gay-Ola Syrup Company. And still on the same page it is stated that the proprietor of the spicy specialty, Roxa-Kola, of Winchester, Ky., recently gave testimony before the Kentucky Railroad Commission in the interest of the Kentucky Bottlers' Association. Thus it is seen that five new cola drinks have started out with the first month of 1916. To this list may now be added another viz., Christo-Cola which I first noticed in the early summer of 1916.

These competitors with Coca Cola's name are of course endeavoring to fight shy of infringing the trade mark. A correspondent from Missouri, where they still want to be shown, says in the National Bottlers' Gazette:

We are in need of a little information, and ask you to give your opinion on the following: We are preparing an advertising card, and are in doubt if the words "A genuine Coca and Cola flavored beverage," would be infringing on the "Coca Cola" trademark. The Louisville Carbonating Syrup Co., who manufacture a Coca and Cola flavored syrup, put the following upon their crowns: "A genuine Coca and Cola Flavor."

To this the editor replies:

"A Genuine Coca and Cola flavored beverage" would not infringe on the "Coca Cola" trade mark. This is providing, however, that the word "and " between the words "Coca" and "Cola" is as plain and distinct as the rest of the lettering.

A formula for cola compound syrup is given, also, on page 100 of the publication just cited, as follows:

Two centigrammes of quinine hydrochloride, 0.04 gramme of citric acid dissolved in sufficient water to obtain 10 grammes of solution, to which are added 195 grammes of simple sirup, 10 grammes of sodium glycerophosphate, 10 grammes of fluid extract of kola, 15 grammes of saccharated iron oxide and 4 drops of oil of orange peel.