J^o. 6, JDJJPAnTMEJSlt OF AGRICULTURE. 105 



THE SALE OF DRESSED POULTRY. 



A visit to the market and stalls as well as stores in the l,arger cities and 

 towns where dressed poultry is sold will be a revelation to some of the people 

 of the rural districts who are accustomed to seeing and buying only live or 

 freshly slaughtered poultry. It is said that there are thousands of fowls exposed 

 for sale annually that were killed a year or two ago, and kept in cold storage, 

 to await a rising or more satisfactory market. The writer saw fowls that came 

 out of cold storage that were frozen solid, and upon being thrown around while 

 being assorted and classified for sale, in some instances the frozen legs were 

 broken off, through careless and rough handUng. After removal fi-om cold 

 storage, some of the dealers dipped these fowls into water containing a pe- 

 culiar chemical solution, to assist in restoring them to a more natural color, but 

 the careful analysis of a number of specimens did not reveal the presence of 

 harmful chemical preservatives. 



The attention of the Dairy and Food Bureau has been called at various 

 times to the badly decomposed condition of some of the dressed poultry offered 

 for sale in certain places, but in a majority of cases, such matters were very 

 properly placed under the care of the local liealth authorities, who are always 

 on the spot and in the place where such violations occur. 



Whether drawn or undrawn, poultry should be handled under the most san- 

 itary conditions, and the sale thereof positively forbidden if there is the least 

 indication of decomposition. This question is one of obvious importance to 

 the housekeeper who will hail with delight any measure that will improve the 

 px-esent unsatisfactory condition of the average poultry market. 



FINANCIAL STATEMENT, 



The following financial statement showing the receipts of the Dairy and Food 

 Division of the Department of Agriculture for the year 1907 is of special inter- 

 est, since it reveals at a glance the importance and growth of this important 

 and valuable branch of the public service. The figures are as follows: 



RECEIPTS. 



Oleomargarine Licenses $26,586 21 



Oleomargarine Fines, 16,438 44 



Pure Food Fines 8,381 27 



Renovated Butter Licenses , 2,369 17 



Milk Fines 1,015 86 



Vinegar Fines 589 68 



Renovated Butter Fines 202 00 



Meat Fines, •.•• 100 00 



Lard Fines 50 00 



$55,732 63 



The entire sum above reported, namely, $55,732.63, was promptly paid into 

 the State Treasury of Pennsylvania, for the use of the Commonwealth, as re- 

 quired by the provisions of the General Appropriation Act. 



The aggregate receipts for the year 1907 compare favorably with former years. 

 There is, however, a material decrease in the amount of fines collected for the 

 violation of the pure food law, as compared with the preceding year. This 

 fact is entirely due to the new pure food act which contains a number of pro- 

 visos foreign to the act of 1895, which it supplants. The new law places the 

 responsibility on the manufacturer, wholesale dealer or jobber, in cases where 

 the retail merchant has exercised proper care and discretion in securing guar- 

 antees. As in many such cases the goods are traced to non-residents of the 

 State, no further legal action can follow in Pennsylvania and the only course 

 to pursue is to report the violations to the National authorities for their con- 

 sideration and action. 



Special attention has again been devoted to the illegal traffic in oleomar- 

 garine, and the amount of fines collected from that source, $16,438.44, is the 

 largest in the history of the Dairy and Food Bureau. 



The receipts from renovated butter licenses amounted to $2,369.17, while 

 $202.00 was received from defendants who violated the law regulating its man- 

 ufacture and sale in Pennsylvania. 



EXPENDITURES OF THE BUREAU. 



The expenditures of the Dairy and Food Division during the year 1907 amount- 

 ed to $78,455.88, classified as follows: 



EXPENDITURES. 



Special Agents Salaries ^^'^'^oo o- 



Chemists Expenses ^'^•^^^'l!-. 



Attorneys , Ix ' r lo 70 



Agents Expenses i^' nift 9^ 



Clerical and Stenographers Salaries m.uib ^a 



$78,455 88 



8 



