REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. XXIII 



The experimental .shipments of the dairy division will be directed to 

 showing our producers what the}' have to do in this respect. 



It is proposed to ascertain the prospects for trade in dairy products 

 in the South American countries besides those already named. 



INSPECTION OF DAIRY PRODUCTS. 



It is considered extremely desirable that the existing- S3'stem of 

 Government inspection and certitication of meats and meat products 

 for export be extended, by additional legislation, so as to include 

 butter, cheese, and condensed milk and cream for export from the 

 United States. Reasons for such legislation have been stated in pre- 

 vious reports, and they apply now even more forcefully than when 

 first given. Briefly, a few of the arguments for such new legislation 

 are as follows : 



Foreign buj^ers of dairy products have so often been deceived by 

 misleading, and sometimes false statements, claiming that shipments 

 of dairy products are high grade when really they are inferior, or in 

 part inferior, that many of them suspect all products exported from 

 this country, and avoid them whenever it is possible to supply their 

 needs elsewhere. In this way we have recentlj^ lost a fine market in 

 Great Britain for our cheese. 



The Department has expended much labor and money to establish 

 a reputation abroad for American dairy products, and already the 

 good results accomplished are being counteracted by the shipment of 

 inferior goods which are claimed to be of high quality. After the 

 buyers on the other side have been defrauded a few times b}^ such 

 shipments they will be unwilling to deal with us when it can be 

 avoided. 



Other countries have developed large foreign trade in their dairy 

 products, and it is well known that one of the principal reasons for 

 their rapid advance in the largest markets of the world is the fact that 

 their best products are marked with a Government stamp, showing 

 conclusively that the article is as represented. 



The proposition of inspecting dairy products for export has been 

 indorsed b}^ nearly all of the large conventions of representative dairy- 

 men in this country, and it has the decided approval of commercial 

 bodies and individual exporters. So far as I am aware, no objection 

 to it has been made. 



DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY. 



FOOD ADULTERATION. 



The Division of Chemistry has continued, during the past year, its 

 elaborate work in the investigation of the extent and character of 

 food adulteration and the composition of foods. The principal study 



