170 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



recommendations for the installation of expensive equipment 

 or any over-nice ideas. We did not recommend that a mani- 

 curist should be in attendance in all factories, but the packers 

 were continually advised as to the proper selection of fish, and 

 as for sanitation, our recommendations were for cleanly and 

 convenient toilets and dressing rooms ; that soap and clean 

 towels should always be available ; the discontinuance of the 

 use of the common drinking cup and the installation of sanitary- 

 drinking fountains. 



Aside from any duty to enforce the food laws charged to 

 us, I feel that it should be our ambition, and that we should be 

 particularly anxious, to overcome the prejudice against the 

 Maine product and cooperate with the packers in securing for 

 Maine sardines a reputation that can be referred to with pride. 

 If such conditions can be secured, it must mean a greater de- 

 mand, a greater production and therefore, a greater revenue 

 must result. In 1909 Maine produced nine-tenths of the total 

 sardines packed in the United States and the total value of 

 the product for that year (and it is believed that it has been 

 considerably increased since) was $4,609,224. I feel safe in 

 asserting that with a change of methods to secure the condi- 

 tions as above described, this revenue could be doubled. 



Canning under State Inspection. — I wish again to emphasize 

 the fact that under chapter 151, P. L., 191 1, as amended by 

 P. L., 1913, chapter 140, the opportunity is given and an op- 

 tion accorded for packing food in conformity with the require- 

 ments of the Maine Food Law ; this requires the registration 

 and payment of registration fee and calls for official inspection 

 by deputies of this department but also — as reported previously 

 — not one of the canners in the state improved the opportunity 

 to ask for inspection relative to the packing of food for the 

 year 1915. 



Collections of Food Samples. 



Some of the food prodiucts collected for analysis have in- 

 cluded maple sirup, molasses, sausage, condensed milk, flavor- 

 ing extracts (including practically all flavors — vanilla, lemon, 

 almond, peppermint and checkerberry), olive oil, bottled soda, 

 clams, oysters, scallops, ice cream, vinegar, etc. 



