82 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



There are dangers associated with the gathering and storage of, natural ice 

 which merit serious thought, as was evidenced by the investigations of the 

 Vermont Experiment Station, which pronounced a number of samples of pond- 

 ice entirely unfit for household use. While perhaps the greatest influence in 

 the self-purification of ice is the effect of a low temperature upon the vitality 

 and life of bacteria, it would be unwise to disregard cautionary measures. 



Local authorities in a number of sections of the State forbade the gather- 

 ing and use of ice on certain streams and ponds, because of unsanitary con- 

 ditions that prevailed, when certain parties interested wrote to this Division 

 for advice and permission to continue its unrestiicted use in the dairy and for 

 household purposes. As the local health officers had already passed upon the 

 question, and being on the ground and perfectly familiar with the conditions 

 that made such negative action necessary, it was impolitic for the Dairy and 

 Food authorities to venture an opinion, except to urge a strict obedience to all 

 regulations that were intended to conserve public health. 



The opportunities afforded for ice infection during the distributipn of what 

 is commonly regarded as "pure ice" are many, consequently too much care 

 cannot be exercised. Ice men handling the ice, infection from the air of our 

 boroughs and cities, dirt and filth from pavements and streets, dirty brooms, 

 filthy water used for washing ice, hands and feet of laborers handling or cut- 

 ting ice, the hoofs of horses, drainage from fields adjacent to ponds, these 

 and scores of other dangers will always confront even the careful and cleanly 

 ice-man. Regulations for securing a natural system of purification of our ice 

 supply are worthy of our careful thought, especially since the demand for ice 

 is steadily growing and its uses multiplying at a remarkable rate. 



Every modern and progressive dairyman and farmer should have a liberal 

 supply of pure ice, and he must not sacrifice health and life for the sake of 

 escaping a slight burden consequent to obtaining ice of purity and quality. 



SHORTWEIGHT PACKAGES COMMON. 



In addition to guarding the people against the illegal sale of compound lard 

 as the pure fat of swine, there should be some easy method of stopping the 

 sale of short-weight packages. An investigation proved conclusively that the 

 evil above referred to is far more common than is supposed, as it was found 

 that the lard sold in packages and pails did not always contain the weight 

 indicated on the package. In some instances packages were one-half pound 

 short. Other firms furnish full weight packages, and have the same properly 

 labeled. It is alleged that competition had brought about the short-weight 

 practice, but nothing can extenuate such a serious offence. The same short- 

 coming applies to other food commodities, as the correspondence received dur- 

 ing the year will conclusively prove. In short weight packages the consumer 

 almost invariably is charged about the same price that should be paid for an 

 honest full-weight package. 



To prevent such impositions upon the public, and to make the work truly 

 effective, a special law governing the subject should be passed, making vio- 

 lations a misdemeanor and providing heavy penalties. Such packages should 

 be properly labeled, with actual net weights specified, so that even a child 

 could buy the article intelligently, and without any fear of being the victim of 

 dishonest practices. Some of the large department stores were among the 

 first to call attention to the imposition practiced upon an over-confiding public 

 through the medium of short-weight packages of lard. 



INFORMATION RELATIVE TO MUSHROOMS. 



One of the peculiarly interesting experiences of the past year was the 

 correspondence and personal visits of parties who were in quest of informa- 

 tion relating to this edible fungi. Unfortunately such inquiries could only be 

 referred to the National authorities at Washington, D. C, as the subject of 

 mushrooms is foreign to the pure food law, excepting when sold in canned 

 form. From the earliest history, mushrooms have been extensively used as 

 human food, and to-day the mushroom growing industry is becoming not 

 only extensive but a source of much profit to the experienced grower. 



Dr. Wiley, of the National Bureau of Chemistry, laid down tlie following 

 general hints: 



"Favorable signs. Pleasant taste and odor, peeling of the skin from rim 

 to centre, pink gills turning brown in older specimens, solid stems, stem easily 

 pulled out of the cap and inserted like a parasol handle. The fungi should be 

 gathered in the morning." 



Some of the canned mushrooms analyzed was chemically preserved and very 

 inferior in quality, although sold at a high price. 



STATE CONTROL OF MANUFACTURE AND SALE OF TOBACCO. 



While England, Scotland and Ireland are enforcing certain laws governing 

 the manufacture and sale of tobacco, this Coinmonwealth has no special re- 

 strictive law relating to the subject, notwithstanding the immensity of the 

 tobacco trade, excepting that the sale of cigarettes to minors under a speci- 



