No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 289 



It is probable, too, that the penal force of a feediug stuff law counts 

 for sometliing. Some men are honest because they like to be, some 

 are honest because they are afraid to be otherwise, and some have 

 courage enough to be dishonest until they are caught. With the 

 second class and pei'hai)S with the third such a law has some in- 

 fluence. 



It must be remembered that after all no law can take the place of 

 intelligence on the part of those whom it is supposed to protect. If 

 the farmers of this country would inform themselves thoroughly in 

 regard to various commercial feeding stuffs on the market, and learn 

 to distinguish the various kinds by mere physical inspection, there 

 would be much less need for legislation than is at present the caee. 

 The buyer who is awake to the situation will not purchase oat hull 

 mixtures with the understanding that he is getting pure corn and 

 oats, neither will he long be deceived by bran and corn cobs. 



One fact w^hich promotes the sale of inferior feeding stuffs is the 

 foolish desire of so many to purchase something cheap. If one 

 dealer has a mixture which he is offering at a dollar less per ton than 

 some other dealer, the former gets the trade of a certain class of 

 people who consider only price and have no intelligent understanding 

 of quality. It should be understood that even when a feeding stuff 

 inspection law exists it will be largely inoperative unless it has the 

 co-operation of the constituency which it is supposed to benefit. No 

 farmer should allow himself to purchase a feeding stuff which is not 

 sold under the proper guarantee and marks. He should refuse to 

 listen to the smooth statements of some dealer or agent w'ho fails 

 to comply with the requirements of the law and who assures him that 

 he has some remarkably valuable mixture to offer him. The days of 

 magic are past. There are no nutriments of greater value than those 

 which are found in the grains which are raised upon your farms and 

 when any manufacturer claims to have discovered some remarkable 

 material or process, by means of which he can furnish you a cattle 

 food of previously unheard of merit, you should turn a deaf ear. 



You have a law in Pennsylvania designed to control the sale and 

 inspection of feeding stuffs. It may be of great benefit to you. 

 Whether it is or not will depend to some extent upon your Secretary 

 of Agriculture, but to a greater extent upon yourselves. 



In order to co-operate intelligently with Secretary Hamilton and 

 serve your own interests you should observe the following points 

 which are in part a recapitulation of the suggestions previously 

 made. 



(1). Inform yourselves thoroughly as to the composition and ap- 

 pearance of the various commercial feeding stuffs. 



(2). Kefuse to purchase goods not sold in a legal manner. That is, 

 you are entitled to a statement of the name of the brand, the manu- 

 facturers of the same, and the guaranteed composition. 



