1222 New Yokk State Agricultural Society 



plant life. The law requires that every shipment of tree or plant 

 that comes into the state from outside its limits mnst be inspected 

 by a trained expert in the employ of the state before beinc; dis- 

 tributed within the state, and if diseased or if eaijs of insects are 



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found therein, the state causes the destruction of such shipment. 



Th(> state also undertakes to prevent the adulteration or mis- 

 branding- of food and food })ro(luets, and the rigid enforcement of 

 our laws upon this sul)je('t has done very much toward raising the 

 standard and ensuring the purity and healthfulness of our com- 

 mon articles of food that must be found in every home. Severe 

 penalties are provided for the adulteration or misbranding of any 

 article intended for human food. ^Mixtures, compounds, com- 

 binations or blends, provided none of the ingredients are dele- 

 terious to health, are permitted provided that the package in 

 which they are contained bears a plain statement of the dif- 

 ferent constituents of such article. Upon this subject the law of 

 the State of Xew York is in advance of the much-advertised 

 national food and drug act. Under the federal law sueli articles 

 may be placed upon the market ]u'ovided only the label shows 

 that they are mixtures, compounds, combinations or blends, while 

 under our law the different articles making up such combination 

 or blend must be stated so that the ])urcliaser may know precisely 

 what is being served to him. 



The agricultural law also regulates the sale of vinegar, paris 

 green, turpentine, linseed oil and a very large variety of other 

 products, not the least important of which are those provisions of 

 the law regulating the manufacture and sale of commercial feed- 

 ing stuffs and commercial fertilizers. The law provides that every 

 l-rand of commercial feeding stuffs or of conunercial fertilizers 

 shall be licensed ])y the state, and (!verv sack of these articles that 

 is placed njxin the niai'ket shall contain bi'anded thereon a state- 

 ment of its weight and the character of its contents. The law 

 requires that the department of agriculture shall, at least once a 

 year, take sam])les and submit them f'oi- clumical analysis, and in 

 case the analysis shows the article is deficient in any of the neces- 

 sary ingi'eilieiits. pi'ncei dings ;ire commeneed ler the cullection of 

 the penalty prescribed for the {)revention of such fraud upon the 

 purchasers. The results are published in bulletin form and sent 



