No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 687 



enacted in Massachusetts, March 5, 1897; this was quickly followed 

 b.y auother act of the Slate of Maine taking elfect Uctober 1, 1897. 

 Since then laws establishiiig cattle food controls have been enacted 

 by Rhode Island, March 23, 1899; New York, May 3, 1899; Connecti- 

 cut, June 20, 1899, and New Jersey, March 15, 1900. 



In Massachusetts, publication is the only penalty for infraction 

 of the law, except as private suits of the interested parties may re- 

 sult in the recovery of damages; but in the other States, in addition 

 to publication there are imposed specific penalties of fine for failure 

 to comply with the requirement to aflfix certain specified forms of 

 brands upon the packages in which the feeding stuff is offered for 

 sale, for failure to pay the taxes or license fees imposed, or for adul- 

 teration of a feeding stuff. 



The results of this control, brief as the time of its operation has 

 been, are very apparent in the exclusion of many undesirable mate- 

 rials from the market and a general improvement of the character 

 of even the better classes of goods; at the same time the tendency is 

 toward their more intelligent use by the consumer with more econo- 

 mical results m feeding. 



An examination of the brans sold in Pennsylvania was, some- 

 time since, made by the Experiment Station and recently the station 

 has made for the State Department of Agriculture an examination of 

 a large number of the various cattle foods sold in the State. Some 

 of the results of this examination may be stated in this connection, 

 and the details will shortly appear in a bulletin now in the course of 

 preparation for the Department (Bulletin No. 81). The re- 

 sults show quite a wide range of composition in the ordi- 

 nary, simple staple products; this, in the case of cotton- 

 seed meal, the highest percentage of fat is nearly one-half 

 greater than the lowest; and in linseed meal over twice as 

 great, while in the protein also of the latter, the highest percentage 

 is two and one-half times as great as the lowest; in the case of wheat 

 bracts, taking both winter and spring wheats into consideration, the 

 highest percentage for protein is about one-fifth greater than the 

 least; as wide a range is shown in the wheat feeds; in even the case 

 of corn chop, the highest figure for protein is over one-half greater 

 than the lowest and for fat over three times as great as the lowest; 

 the gluten feeds range from nearly 14 to 27 per cent, protein and the 

 oats feeds from G per cent, to 11 per cent. These figures suffice to 

 show the uncertainty at present attending the purchase of cattle 

 foods in this State and the utter impossibility, in the absence of care- 

 fully guarded guarantees, of an accurate compounding of the rations 

 unless the consumer himself goes to the expense of analysis. 



Another ground for deciariog the need for such control is found 

 in a comparison of the average quality of the goods sold 



